AS Movies & Gameshttps://arcticsunburn.com
Movie Reviews, Video Game Reviews, Let's Play SeriesMon, 21 Jan 2019 23:45:08 +0000en-UShourly1AS Movies & Games offers the perspective of modern gaming and movies through the eyes of retro-gamers and long-time movie goers. No, we're not old, but we have been around for a while! If you've ever thought about intellectualizing entertainment, or you like to go a little deeper, you're awesome and we like you.AS Movies & GamesnoAS Movies & Gamesdavid@arcticsunburn.comdavid@arcticsunburn.com (AS Movies & Games)Color commentary on video games and movies from every era (as long as it's the 80s and 90s)AS Movies & Gameshttps://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/as-podcast-artwork.jpghttps://arcticsunburn.com
District 9 Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/district-9-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/district-9-review/#respondWed, 29 Jul 2015 14:00:35 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2654I’m just getting around to reviewing this 2009 Action Sci-Fi here in 2015. That’s probably worthy of an explanation, so I will attempt to share what happened. I’d heard a lot about this movie, and I figured I should see it at some point. It wasn’t at the top of my list of priorities, but […]

]]>I’m just getting around to reviewing this 2009 Action Sci-Fi here in 2015. That’s probably worthy of an explanation, so I will attempt to share what happened.

I’d heard a lot about this movie, and I figured I should see it at some point. It wasn’t at the top of my list of priorities, but I knew I would eventually get around to it.

As it turns out, I’ve actually had the DVD in my possession for a couple of years now. To make a long story short, I traded an amplifier for a guitar. Then, I put the guitar up for sale. I found a buyer who wanted to give me a couple hundred dollars, plus several hundred DVDs in exchange for the guitar.

I knew that DVDs were beginning to lose their value, but the trade seemed fair, and I had no intention of hanging onto the guitar, so I agreed to the terms.

That’s how I wound up with a miscellany of several hundred DVDs, many of which I sold and gave away almost immediately. I wasn’t interested in watching every movie, and I could see that the previous owner wasn’t exactly a man of taste (there might be a reason why he was getting rid of those movies). Fortunately, I already had an Amazon seller account, so selling some of the titles proved relatively easy.

I suppose I could have held onto more strictly for the purpose of reviewing those movies, but even a reviewer like me – who has a history of talking about crappy movies – can only tolerate so much crap.

My timing was good in the sense that, had I waited no more than six months to a year from the time I sold my guitar, I probably couldn’t have sold those DVDs at all. Again, they have very little or no value now. People aren’t terribly interested in owning physical media, or even storing a large number of files on their computers anymore.

Do you like music? Great, you can stream it. Movies? You can stream them too. Most forms of entertainment are now headed that way.

My standpoint on physical and digital media is somewhere in between. I don’t necessarily see a reason to collect and hoard, but I don’t think physical goods are completely without merit either. For example, though I do own an eReader, I still like owning physical books.

Truthfully, I find that one isn’t really better than the other. Sure, you can store a lot more books on an eReader, so it’s a great storage device, but you can’t highlight and underline certain sections, write notes in the margins, and so on. You can’t make your book your book, if you know what I mean.

I’m not saying that eReaders don’t have superior functionality, and yes, you can “highlight” and take notes, but it’s not quite the same. I can’t very well open to the exact page I was reading and spontaneously show someone on an eReader. I can’t immediately go back to that page for reference if I want to.

While that is just one example of the differences between digital and physical media, my thoughts across the spectrum are essentially the same. They both have advantages and disadvantages to varying degrees.

Anyway, turning my attention back to the subject of this article, I finally got around to watching District 9 recently. I know it’s been out for a while (and it’s also been in my possession for a while), and I know that I’m definitely not the first to publish a review, but maybe that’ll actually help in this instance.

After all, I haven’t read any other reviews, nor have I really listened to what other people have said about this movie. I went into it with a relatively positive impression, but not so saturated and sponged in other people’s opinions that I might miss forming personal thoughts and impressions on the subject.

So let’s get into this review. First, I’m going to take some time to talk about the setup.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/district-9-review/feed/07 Posts I’ve Made About SimCityhttps://arcticsunburn.com/7-posts-ive-made-about-simcity/
https://arcticsunburn.com/7-posts-ive-made-about-simcity/#respondWed, 22 Jul 2015 14:00:13 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2642If there’s one thing we’ve done fairly consistently here at AS Movies & Games, it’s that we’ve talked a lot about SimCity. And I’ll be honest; I was pretty obsessed with the game at one time in my life (actually, I’ve been obsessed about it more than once). What is it about SimCity that makes […]

And I’ll be honest; I was pretty obsessed with the game at one time in my life (actually, I’ve been obsessed about it more than once).

What is it about SimCity that makes it so compelling? I don’t really know. Maybe it’s the difficulty. Maybe it’s the fact that you have real bragging rights if you successfully build a Megalopolis. Not that anyone couldn’t do it, but not everyone does.

I think the main appeal is just the fact that you get to build your own city. It’s almost a sandbox game in that regard. You choose your destiny, and you have a direct impact on how things turn out.

In any case, I decided to compile all of the posts I’ve done about SimCity so far. As an added bonus, you’ll get a little bit of a history lesson along the way.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/7-posts-ive-made-about-simcity/feed/0Top 5 Super Famicom Games I Ownhttps://arcticsunburn.com/top-5-super-famicom-games-i-own/
https://arcticsunburn.com/top-5-super-famicom-games-i-own/#respondWed, 15 Jul 2015 14:00:10 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2627Here’s something all writers have in common; we can really only write about things we know. This post could have been about the top five Super Famicom games in existence, but I haven’t played them all, so I have no way of ranking them in a meaningful order. I could go and look at a […]

]]>Here’s something all writers have in common; we can really only write about things we know.

This post could have been about the top five Super Famicom games in existence, but I haven’t played them all, so I have no way of ranking them in a meaningful order.

I could go and look at a few other lists that are out there and compile a list of my own, but then I wouldn’t really be true to myself.

So, instead, I’m going to talk about the top five Super Famicom games I own. Again, these aren’t necessarily the best games in existence, let alone the best games for the console, but they are the very best of the ones I’ve had the pleasure of owning. So let’s get on with this.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/top-5-super-famicom-games-i-own/feed/0Top 5 Best Final Fantasy Gameshttps://arcticsunburn.com/top-5-best-final-fantasy-games/
https://arcticsunburn.com/top-5-best-final-fantasy-games/#respondWed, 08 Jul 2015 14:00:58 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2616Say what you will about Final Fantasy games. Sure, the series has been taking a beating by various critics in recent years, but it started out as an honest-to-god entertaining and endearing RPG series. The “Golden Years” may be long gone, and who knows if they will ever be recovered, but at least we will […]

]]>Say what you will about Final Fantasy games. Sure, the series has been taking a beating by various critics in recent years, but it started out as an honest-to-god entertaining and endearing RPG series.

The “Golden Years” may be long gone, and who knows if they will ever be recovered, but at least we will always remember the series for those moments of brilliance, which were not few and far between in the earlier years.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/top-5-best-final-fantasy-games/feed/0So it’s been a while and stuff…https://arcticsunburn.com/so-its-been-a-while-and-stuff/
https://arcticsunburn.com/so-its-been-a-while-and-stuff/#respondSat, 04 Jul 2015 04:49:49 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2603It’s about time we gave you an update, right? To tell you the truth, the overlords are a little upset with me for letting this slip. Yeah, it’s been busy, but I really didn’t think I would be coming back to this after all this time. When you have an energy force cannon aimed at […]

To tell you the truth, the overlords are a little upset with me for letting this slip.

Yeah, it’s been busy, but I really didn’t think I would be coming back to this after all this time.

When you have an energy force cannon aimed at your head though, you are pretty quick to reconsider.

I don’t really know how much attention I can give to this project, but I am in the process of making some changes and updates regardless. Maybe it wouldn’t kill me to do some quick bit pieces here and there.

I have seen a few movies, and I have played a few games. In fact, I finally have a working XBox 360 again. Yes, I know, it’s kind of old now, but I’m excited to play a little bit here and there on the weekends and such.

So, this is Andrew letting you know what’s going on. Hope to see you back here soon.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/so-its-been-a-while-and-stuff/feed/04 Reasons Not to Dance with Lap Dancehttps://arcticsunburn.com/4-reasons-not-dance-lap-dance/
https://arcticsunburn.com/4-reasons-not-dance-lap-dance/#respondMon, 26 Jan 2015 15:00:54 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2568Have you seen Lap Dance? If not, then don’t. There are plenty of bad movies out there, and I can certainly think of a few that were far worse than this one. Saying that, this isn’t a whole lot better. Don’t let the IMDb rating (6.2!?) fool you. This isn’t good entertainment (for reasons I’m […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/4-reasons-not-dance-lap-dance/feed/0Team Fortress 2 – Highlights from December 13, 2014https://arcticsunburn.com/team-fortress-2-highlights-december-13-2014/
https://arcticsunburn.com/team-fortress-2-highlights-december-13-2014/#respondFri, 23 Jan 2015 15:00:23 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2534It’s always fun to play on well-populated, competitive servers. Usually you end up with a bit of a lop-sided team, and that’s exactly what happens here (why the hell are there so many snipers on my team?). Anyway, this was still a lot of fun, and I did wind up on the better team for […]

]]>It’s always fun to play on well-populated, competitive servers. Usually you end up with a bit of a lop-sided team, and that’s exactly what happens here (why the hell are there so many snipers on my team?).

Anyway, this was still a lot of fun, and I did wind up on the better team for the second round, so that was cool.

This was a bit of a shorter sessions compared to my last one, thus why it’s not quite as long.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/team-fortress-2-highlights-december-13-2014/feed/0Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD – Warehouse 70,000 Point Combohttps://arcticsunburn.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-hd-warehouse-70000-point-combo/
https://arcticsunburn.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-hd-warehouse-70000-point-combo/#respondThu, 22 Jan 2015 15:00:31 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2530This is probably the game I sunk the most time into in 2014, especially during the summer. I have a bit of a weakness for the Tony Hawk series, and since this is a remake of some the better, earlier games, there just wasn’t any keeping myself away from it. Suffice to say, I finished […]

]]>This is probably the game I sunk the most time into in 2014, especially during the summer.

I have a bit of a weakness for the Tony Hawk series, and since this is a remake of some the better, earlier games, there just wasn’t any keeping myself away from it. Suffice to say, I finished all the goals and unlocked everything.

In this video, you’ll see me make a reasonably big combo. I am certainly capable of doing much bigger combos, but the line is pretty cool so I’m posting anyway.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-hd-warehouse-70000-point-combo/feed/0Team Fortress 2 – Highlights from December 11, 2014https://arcticsunburn.com/team-fortress-2-highlights-december-11-2014/
https://arcticsunburn.com/team-fortress-2-highlights-december-11-2014/#respondWed, 21 Jan 2015 15:00:44 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2528Team Fortress 2 is basically my go-to game over the holiday season. I ended up not playing quite as much as I thought I would, but I still enjoy playing it. I played it more during the Halloween season for 2014. So, anyway, here are some of the highlights from my session on December 11.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/team-fortress-2-highlights-december-11-2014/feed/0Andrew Unboxes an AV Famicom for Christmashttps://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-unboxes-av-famicom-christmas/
https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-unboxes-av-famicom-christmas/#respondTue, 20 Jan 2015 15:00:31 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2524This certainly wasn’t Christmas 2014. It was 2012, I’m pretty sure. The AV Famicom was only out for a few years, between 1993 and 1995. It has better audio and better graphics compared to the original. I still have the original Famicom too, but I don’t have an RF cable for it. Thus why I […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-unboxes-av-famicom-christmas/feed/0Dr. Mario – Matt Vs. Pathttps://arcticsunburn.com/dr-mario-matt-vs-pat/
https://arcticsunburn.com/dr-mario-matt-vs-pat/#respondMon, 19 Jan 2015 15:00:34 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2521Who doesn’t enjoy a good ol’ Dr. Mario battle now and then? Well, when you get Matt pitted against Pat, the battle can go on for quite a while. I have many memories associated with Dr. Mario. It used to be a bit of a go-to game for our family, and we even played it […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/dr-mario-matt-vs-pat/feed/0Andrew and Nathan Play Dynasty Warriors 6https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-dynasty-warriors-6/
https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-dynasty-warriors-6/#respondFri, 16 Jan 2015 15:00:13 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2518You know, Dynasty Warriors 6 seems to be a neat game conceptually, but it mostly fails at the execution stage. Fighting off endless waves of minions and big bosses with huge weapons can only entertain your for so long, and while there are plenty of repetitive games out there (when you really think about it), […]

]]>You know, Dynasty Warriors 6 seems to be a neat game conceptually, but it mostly fails at the execution stage.

Fighting off endless waves of minions and big bosses with huge weapons can only entertain your for so long, and while there are plenty of repetitive games out there (when you really think about it), I can’t think of anything worse than just a button masher. Thus why I don’t like Super Smash Bros. Burn.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-dynasty-warriors-6/feed/0Andrew and Nathan Play Assassin’s Creedhttps://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-assassins-creed/
https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-assassins-creed/#respondThu, 15 Jan 2015 15:00:00 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2515I don’t think I’ve ever actually touched this game, but I’ve certainly watched a few people play it. This would be one of those instances. Again, it’s mostly because I don’t have anything newer than a PlayStation 2. I did briefly own a 360, but it was red-ringing when I got it. After getting that […]

]]>I don’t think I’ve ever actually touched this game, but I’ve certainly watched a few people play it. This would be one of those instances.

Again, it’s mostly because I don’t have anything newer than a PlayStation 2. I did briefly own a 360, but it was red-ringing when I got it. After getting that taken care of, the disc drive eventually started to fail. Things happen.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-assassins-creed/feed/0Andrew and Nathan Play Red Dead Redemptionhttps://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-red-dead-redemption/
https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-red-dead-redemption/#respondWed, 14 Jan 2015 15:00:38 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2502And I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say this is the only time I’ve played (or watched someone play) Red Dead Redemption. No, not because it isn’t any good. It seems like a pretty cool game. Mostly just because I don’t own a console newer than PlayStation 2. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/andrew-nathan-play-red-dead-redemption/feed/0Bad Movie Rant: Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopushttps://arcticsunburn.com/bad-movie-rant-mega-shark-vs-giant-octopus/
https://arcticsunburn.com/bad-movie-rant-mega-shark-vs-giant-octopus/#respondTue, 13 Jan 2015 15:00:04 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2499Before it started being uncool to trash The Asylum movies. As we all know, they deliberately make bad movies, and that more or less disqualifies them from being deserving of a review of any kind. Oh well. We had some fun riffing on this anyway, so I hope you enjoy.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/bad-movie-rant-mega-shark-vs-giant-octopus/feed/0Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worldshttps://arcticsunburn.com/marvel-vs-capcom-3-fate-two-worlds/
https://arcticsunburn.com/marvel-vs-capcom-3-fate-two-worlds/#respondMon, 12 Jan 2015 15:00:54 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2496Just so you know, we were playing this when it was still brand new. I know, it’s taken me a long time to dig through the archives to get all of these videos up. Sorry for the poor focus on the video. I’m not sure why it was so bad. I was just using my […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/marvel-vs-capcom-3-fate-two-worlds/feed/0019 – The Game-A-Day Campaign #5: Dragon Quest V Hand of the Heavenly Bride Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/019-game-day-campaign-5-dragon-quest-v-hand-heavenly-bride-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/019-game-day-campaign-5-dragon-quest-v-hand-heavenly-bride-review/#respondSun, 11 Jan 2015 15:00:12 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2560No way! It’s over already? As we come to the end of the game-a-day campaign, I take a look at Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride on Day 5 (you know, because they both have 5 in them?). Never played it before? You’re seriously missing out! Potentially, you might know it better as […]

As we come to the end of the game-a-day campaign, I take a look at Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride on Day 5 (you know, because they both have 5 in them?). Never played it before? You’re seriously missing out!

Potentially, you might know it better as Dragon Warrior, but hey, I think the whole North American name/Japanese name contrast is entirely pointless in this instance, so excuse me, princess. Dragon Quest is where it’s at.

All your base are belong to us. Oh come on, you knew it was coming. Make sure to click the play (►) button on the media player above to woo the hand of the heavenly bride. Yes please! Or just click on it so you can listen to this dragoncast. Way cool.

Now here are some monsters you can assimilate into your party. No, we are not the Borg.

This would be the DS version; not the original Super Famicom graphics.

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/019-game-day-campaign-5-dragon-quest-v-hand-heavenly-bride-review/feed/0No way! It's over already? - As we come to the end of the game-a-day campaign, I take a look at Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride on Day 5 (you know, because they both have 5 in them?). Never played it before? You're seriously missing out! No way! It's over already?
As we come to the end of the game-a-day campaign, I take a look at Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride on Day 5 (you know, because they both have 5 in them?). Never played it before? You're seriously missing out!
Potentially, you might know it better as Dragon Warrior, but hey, I think the whole North American name/Japanese name contrast is entirely pointless in this instance, so excuse me, princess. Dragon Quest is where it's at.
All your base are belong to us. Oh come on, you knew it was coming. Make sure to click the play (►) button on the media player above to woo the hand of the heavenly bride. Yes please! Or just click on it so you can listen to this dragoncast. Way cool.
Now here are some monsters you can assimilate into your party. No, we are not the Borg.
Call To Actions:
Yea boy!
Subscribe to the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (booyakasha!)
Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Share this podcast episode with every friendly monster.
Leave a comment below because the nameless protagonist from Dragon Quest V will cry if you don't.
Show Notes:
Take notes on this one, kids. These are all affiliate links, amigos!
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NJMMHG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001NJMMHG&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=LCETCT6QGC3KSO6Z" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride</a> (you can get it for the Nintendo DS; nice!)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LY4IDK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000LY4IDK&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=YVF4OTAOYYNDUUZL" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Final Fantasy VI</a> (now you're going to be RPG-ing all weekend; believe it!)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002I0GKIQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002I0GKIQ&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=O4UFOOVWJ2SCSLXK" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation</a> (also on the DS; oh man, I so want that)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Z5XKJO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009Z5XKJO&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=I4534P26UJTSW2TD" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dragon Quest VII</a> (this is where everything went to poo)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000296O5/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000296O5&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=OBZKLDCPWZ7U6MAS" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Final Fantasy VIII</a> (no, I don't recommend actually buying it; no, don't even look at it)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009A4EV2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0009A4EV2&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=DCYEN5GDHGS5VM3H" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King</a> (not exactly what I want from the Dragon Quest series, but it's still pretty great)
Credits:
HOST: <a href="https://twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>AS Movies & Gamesno9:29018 – The Game-A-Day Campaign #4: VVVVVV Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/018-game-day-campaign-4-vvvvvv-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/018-game-day-campaign-4-vvvvvv-review/#respondSat, 10 Jan 2015 15:00:18 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2554Whoa! Watch out! Day 4 has officially arrived. And in this episode of the fantastic game-a-day campaign, I took a look at VVVVVV, a 2D puzzle platformer loaded with rewarding challenges. Truthfully, I don’t have anything bad to say about it. Despite being simple, they somehow managed to avoid making it overly repetitive. And that’s […]

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/018-game-day-campaign-4-vvvvvv-review/feed/0Whoa! Watch out! Day 4 has officially arrived. - And in this episode of the fantastic game-a-day campaign, I took a look at VVVVVV, a 2D puzzle platformer loaded with rewarding challenges. - Truthfully, I don't have anything bad to say about it.Whoa! Watch out! Day 4 has officially arrived.
And in this episode of the fantastic game-a-day campaign, I took a look at VVVVVV, a 2D puzzle platformer loaded with rewarding challenges.
Truthfully, I don't have anything bad to say about it. Despite being simple, they somehow managed to avoid making it overly repetitive. And that's quite the accomplishment!
What up, mouse-clickers? Click the play (►) button on the media player above to land on your feet upside down. Cool. Or just click on it so you can listen to this veecast. Word.
Ohh, and now for the Easter eggs. Well, not quite. The goodies, anyway.
Call To Actions:
Don't tell me you love me.
Subscribe to the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (bring it)
Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Share this podcast episode with every living creature feature.
Leave a comment below because it's the right thing to do.
Show Notes:
Blow holes? No, no, show notes. Show notes. Ahh yes.
Andrew mentions <a href="http://thelettervsixtim.es/" target="_blank">VVVVVV</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KY154PQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00KY154PQ&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=SPKWTN7URR4VHLHV" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Credits:
HOST: <a href="https://twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>AS Movies & Gamesno5:40017 – The Game-A-Day Campaign #3: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/017-game-day-campaign-3-tony-hawks-pro-skater-hd-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/017-game-day-campaign-3-tony-hawks-pro-skater-hd-review/#respondFri, 09 Jan 2015 15:00:08 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2548Guess what? Day 3 is here, and so is another review. Our consistency and persistency is pretty impressive, isn’t it? Today, we’re taking a look at Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, which is sort of like a combination of the original Tony Hawk and Tony Hawk 2. It’s a pretty great game, but does it […]

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/017-game-day-campaign-3-tony-hawks-pro-skater-hd-review/feed/0Guess what? Day 3 is here, and so is another review. Our consistency and persistency is pretty impressive, isn't it? - Today, we're taking a look at Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, which is sort of like a combination of the original Tony Hawk and Tony Hawk...Guess what? Day 3 is here, and so is another review. Our consistency and persistency is pretty impressive, isn't it?
Today, we're taking a look at Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, which is sort of like a combination of the original Tony Hawk and Tony Hawk 2.
It's a pretty great game, but does it measure up to the originals? Is it worth playing? Let's find out!
Here's the deal, bro (or sis). Click the play (►) button on the media player above to find your true calling. Well, maybe. Just click on it so you can hear this hawkcast.
Do you like extras? We do. So here they are!
Call To Actions:
Because we're clever that way.
Subscribe to the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (shoutout!)
Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
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Show Notes:
Don't forget, these are all affiliate links except where noted. We just like to be clear on that.
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001QED2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00001QED2&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=R6QUHG4LA3C3KAFI" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tony Hawk's Pro Skater</a> (check out <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-review/" target="_blank">our review</a> while you're at it)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000A082Y/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000A082Y&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=I3IJTFOROXQLAVCQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tony Hawk's Underground</a> (it was either this one or Underground 2 that wasn't so good; yeah, it was 2 actually)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002CNUN0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0002CNUN0&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=7WPBSZYXBFIWIH2M" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tony Hawk's Underground 2</a>
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009Z3HMY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0009Z3HMY&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=GREHAJWEKWZ3EQ5V" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tony Hawk's American Wasteland</a> (cool concept, but as far as being fun to skate around, it fails a little)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CEM332/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009CEM332&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=A5ABV2646WC4S66W" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD</a> (hard to go wrong with $9.99 I'd say)
Credits:
HOST: <a href="https://twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>AS Movies & Gamesno7:39016 – The Game-A-Day Campaign #2: Robowarrior (aka Bomber King) Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/016-game-day-campaign-2-robowarrior-aka-bomber-king-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/016-game-day-campaign-2-robowarrior-aka-bomber-king-review/#respondThu, 08 Jan 2015 15:00:47 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2542Well, let’s not beat around the beaver here. I’ve definitely talked about Robowarrior already (and that is a kick-ass review if I say so myself), but I think it’s safe to say that I have a bit of a new perspective on it too. If you’ve been following us for a while, you already know […]

]]>Well, let’s not beat around the beaver here. I’ve definitely talked about Robowarrior already (and that is a kick-ass review if I say so myself), but I think it’s safe to say that I have a bit of a new perspective on it too.

If you’ve been following us for a while, you already know that I think it’s a pretty great game, but the interesting part is that it also shows a lot of promise and potential. So much so that I’ve thought about developing a better version of the game in the future.

Am I a game developer? No. But I am an entrepreneur, so you never know. With the capital and the right circumstances, it could still happen. Dream big, kids.

Oh yea, bee-tee-dubs. Click the play (►) button on the media player above to be surprised beyond belief. Well, not really. Just click on it so you can hear this robocast.

You think it’s weak-ass? Wrong! Bombs away.

And here are the super cool extras as always.

Call To Actions:

Don’t you like the fact that we call these call to actions? We happen to think it’s pretty funny.

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/016-game-day-campaign-2-robowarrior-aka-bomber-king-review/feed/0Well, let's not beat around the beaver here. I've definitely talked about Robowarrior already (and that is a kick-ass review if I say so myself), but I think it's safe to say that I have a bit of a new perspective on it too. - Well, let's not beat around the beaver here. I've definitely <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/bomber-king-robo-warrior-review/" target="_blank">talked about Robowarrior already</a> (and that is a kick-ass review if I say so myself), but I think it's safe to say that I have a bit of a new perspective on it too.
If you've been following us for a while, you already know that I think it's a pretty great game, but the interesting part is that it also shows a lot of promise and potential. So much so that I've thought about developing a better version of the game in the future.
Am I a game developer? No. But I am an entrepreneur, so you never know. With the capital and the right circumstances, it could still happen. Dream big, kids.
Oh yea, bee-tee-dubs. Click the play (►) button on the media player above to be surprised beyond belief. Well, not really. Just click on it so you can hear this robocast.
And here are the super cool extras as always.
Call To Actions:
Don't you like the fact that we call these call to actions? We happen to think it's pretty funny.
Subscribe to the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (woot!)
Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Share this podcast episode with every living creature feature.
Leave a comment below because it's the right thing to do.
Show Notes:
Here are the goodies for this show. And yeah, just so you know, these are all affiliate links. Move along.
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SVTY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00004SVTY&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=OBEK3JHWMTO37FJV" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Robowarrior</a> (well, you know, it's not cheap and all, but it's still pretty cool to own a copy of this game; I would think you're cool anyway)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007WWYLE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0007WWYLE&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=KFMWNSRGJDP4LYNX" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Bomberman</a> (play it; it's good!)
Credits:
HOST: <a href="https://twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>AS Movies & Gamesno5:34015 – The Game-A-Day Campaign #1: Seiken Densetsu 3 Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/015-game-day-campaign-1-seiken-densetsu-3-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/015-game-day-campaign-1-seiken-densetsu-3-review/#respondWed, 07 Jan 2015 15:00:52 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2536Yup! I’m back already. This is the first in a series of Game-A-Day podcast episodes, each covering a different game. For the first installment, I take a look at Seiken Densetsu 3, which would have been Secret of Mana 2. Click the play (►) button on the media player above to be transported to a […]

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]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/015-game-day-campaign-1-seiken-densetsu-3-review/feed/0Yup! I'm back already. - This is the first in a series of Game-A-Day podcast episodes, each covering a different game. For the first installment, I take a look at Seiken Densetsu 3, which would have been Secret of Mana 2. Yup! I'm back already.
This is the first in a series of Game-A-Day podcast episodes, each covering a different game. For the first installment, I take a look at Seiken Densetsu 3, which would have been Secret of Mana 2.
Click the play (►) button on the media player above to be transported to a magical land. Or listen to the podcast episode. Yeah, that.
Here be some extras for ya.
Call To Actions:
It's time to bear arms!
Subscribe to the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (internet fives!)
Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Share this podcast episode with every Bob and Joe, get down with the show!
Leave a comment below because it's a good thing to do.
Show Notes:
Don't you love show notes? We sure do! Oh yeah, these are all affiliate links. Good to know!
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000066BPS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000066BPS&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=73LN7KIUA7JNKIEM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Seiken Densetsu 3</a> (wow, you can actually buy it for a lot of money on Amazon. I should try selling my copy!)
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000035Y2Q/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000035Y2Q&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=HR77ELLMCZD4KZJD" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Secret of Mana</a>
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LY4IDK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000LY4IDK&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=UFF3IOM342BPUSOC" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Final Fantasy VI</a>
Credits:
HOST: <a href="https://twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>AS Movies & Gamesno12:41Let’s Play TimeSplitters 2… For Real This Timehttps://arcticsunburn.com/lets-play-timesplitters-2-real-time/
https://arcticsunburn.com/lets-play-timesplitters-2-real-time/#respondTue, 06 Jan 2015 15:00:14 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2493Arthur and I play TimeSplitters 2 again, and yes, this time we manage to do it without being interrupted by dysfunctional roommate. Phew. And yes, this would be the preferred way of playing the game. We highly advise not having a dysfunctional roommate around when playing TimeSplitters 2. It’s a great game, and should be […]

]]>Arthur and I play TimeSplitters 2 again, and yes, this time we manage to do it without being interrupted by dysfunctional roommate. Phew.

And yes, this would be the preferred way of playing the game. We highly advise not having a dysfunctional roommate around when playing TimeSplitters 2. It’s a great game, and should be played when you can give your full attention to it.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/lets-play-timesplitters-2-real-time/feed/0Max Da Costa Drawing for Sale!https://arcticsunburn.com/max-da-costa-drawing-sale/
https://arcticsunburn.com/max-da-costa-drawing-sale/#respondMon, 05 Jan 2015 15:20:23 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2505Hey guys! I wanted to let you know that you can now bid on the Max Da Costa drawing I did in this video on eBay. As you may or may not know, the Elysium Review was a little more than just another post on the site. There was an entire documented experiment that went […]

I wanted to let you know that you can now bid on the Max Da Costa drawing I did in this video on eBay.

As you may or may not know, the Elysium Review was a little more than just another post on the site. There was an entire documented experiment that went along with it, and it was a lot of work for just one man to say the least. The experiment isn’t totally done either.

One of the final steps in this experiment involves the listing and selling of the previously mentioned drawing on eBay. I assume there are plenty of you who are interested, so here’s your opportunity. Start the bidding!

Sorry, this offer has expired.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/max-da-costa-drawing-sale/feed/0014 – The Elysium Experimenthttps://arcticsunburn.com/014-elysium-experiment/
https://arcticsunburn.com/014-elysium-experiment/#respondMon, 05 Jan 2015 15:00:01 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2491Hey gang! We know it’s been a while, but we thought we would update you with recent happenings here at AS Movies & Games. We did a little bit of an experiment involving the recent Elysium Review post. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you’ll probably want to take a look at it. It […]

We know it’s been a while, but we thought we would update you with recent happenings here at AS Movies & Games.

We did a little bit of an experiment involving the recent Elysium Review post. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you’ll probably want to take a look at it. It will help put this podcast episode in context.

Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear our latest podcast episode. Yes, you will be tested on this.

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/014-elysium-experiment/feed/0Hey gang! - We know it's been a while, but we thought we would update you with recent happenings here at AS Movies & Games. - We did a little bit of an experiment involving the recent Elysium Review post. If you haven't checked it out yet,Hey gang!
We know it's been a while, but we thought we would update you with recent happenings here at AS Movies & Games.
We did a little bit of an experiment involving the recent <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/elysium-review/" target="_blank">Elysium Review post</a>. If you haven't checked it out yet, you'll probably want to take a look at it. It will help put this podcast episode in context.
Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear our latest podcast episode. Yes, you will be tested on this.
Isn't podcasting awesome? We thought so.
Call To Actions:
Absolutely radical!
Subscribe to the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2" target="_blank">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (high fives!)
Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX" target="_blank">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Share this podcast episode with everyone… yes, all the people; every people; entire people; whole people.
Leave a comment below because we love you, and you love us. Right?
Show Notes:
These show notes were brought to you by people stranger than us.
Andrew mentions <a href="http://outsourceblogcontent.com/content-outsourcing-experiment-1-fiverr/" target="_blank">Content Outsourcing Experiment #1: Fiverr</a>
Andrew mentions <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/elysium-max-da-costa-drawing-time-lapse/" target="_blank">Elysium - Max Da Costa Drawing Time Lapse</a>
Credits:
HOST: <a href="https://twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank">AS Andrew</a>AS Movies & Gamesno6:24The Most Anticipated Japanese Games of 2013 – 2014https://arcticsunburn.com/anticipated-japanese-games-2013-2014/
https://arcticsunburn.com/anticipated-japanese-games-2013-2014/#respondThu, 11 Dec 2014 20:59:25 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2459Well, color me curious. I know we’re nearing 2015 here, but I haven’t checked to see what’s new in Japan in a while. Every once in a while, I like to get updated. After all, I grew up there. After realizing that Dragon Quest X was already out, I wanted to see what else was […]

]]>Well, color me curious. I know we’re nearing 2015 here, but I haven’t checked to see what’s new in Japan in a while. Every once in a while, I like to get updated. After all, I grew up there.

After realizing that Dragon Quest X was already out, I wanted to see what else was new.

The following video gave me a pretty good idea.

First of all, I’m really impressed with the graphics of all of the games. Certainly, graphics aren’t everything when it comes to video games, but you can’t help but be mesmerized by the new technology.

It’s interesting that they’ve brought back Saint Seiya, which was already an older manga and anime series when I was a kid. I suppose there must be some kind of resurgence in Japan…?

I’ve already talked a bit about Final Fantasy XV, so there isn’t too much to say here. It looks really good, but man, they have a long way to go to recover the errors they’ve committed with practically every installation since VII.

The Dragon Ball Z game also looks pretty cool, and the ability to use all the forms of a particular character for your team is pretty hilarious.

The J-Stars Victory Vs. game would be pretty cool, but it’s just another battle game like Dragon Ball Z, and I would much rather see a RPG like Hero Retsuden.

Anyway, if you’ve got some spare time, you might want to check these out yourself.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/anticipated-japanese-games-2013-2014/feed/0Let’s Play TimeSplitters 2 and get Interrupted by Dysfunctional Roommatehttps://arcticsunburn.com/lets-play-timesplitters-2-get-interrupted-dysfunctional-roommate/
https://arcticsunburn.com/lets-play-timesplitters-2-get-interrupted-dysfunctional-roommate/#respondFri, 05 Dec 2014 19:00:25 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2417Well this brings me back. There was a brief period in my life where everything was a total mess, up to and including my only renter at the time. Things might have been alright if we had separate living spaces within the house, but we shared. I cringe to even think about it. Arthur and […]

]]>Well this brings me back. There was a brief period in my life where everything was a total mess, up to and including my only renter at the time. Things might have been alright if we had separate living spaces within the house, but we shared. I cringe to even think about it.

Arthur and I were just taking TimeSplitters 2 on a test spin. He owned it but hadn’t played it yet. As it turns out, it’s a really great game. However, on this occasion, we don’t make it very far. In the midst of that, we get interrupted by my former roommate. Sheesh.

I hope you can feel the awkwardness in your bones. I hope you can laugh.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/lets-play-timesplitters-2-get-interrupted-dysfunctional-roommate/feed/0Classic Gaming Night!: Mortal Kombathttps://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-mortal-kombat/
https://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-mortal-kombat/#respondThu, 04 Dec 2014 19:00:32 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2415No matter how good the graphics get, I’m just not a fan of the Mortal Kombat franchise. It’s not that I don’t see the appeal, it’s just that it’s far inferior to other games in the genre. Not to mention, the controls leave something to be desired. I don’t think the characters are very good […]

]]>No matter how good the graphics get, I’m just not a fan of the Mortal Kombat franchise. It’s not that I don’t see the appeal, it’s just that it’s far inferior to other games in the genre. Not to mention, the controls leave something to be desired. I don’t think the characters are very good either.

Will I play the game if others around me are? Sure. Would I willingly insert it into my own console (I’m not trying to be clever here, but you can take it that way if you want)? Not likely.

Oh well. If you like it, it’s that’s totally fine with me. Just don’t force me to like it too.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-mortal-kombat/feed/0Classic Gaming Night!: Mega Bombermanhttps://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-mega-bomberman/
https://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-mega-bomberman/#respondWed, 03 Dec 2014 19:00:23 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2389Here’s another installment from classic gaming night. Had I posted these videos earlier, I probably would have remembered the titles of all of the games. However – though it’s hard to believe – it’s been nearly four years since we had this party, so this was one of the games I had forgotten about. I […]

Had I posted these videos earlier, I probably would have remembered the titles of all of the games. However – though it’s hard to believe – it’s been nearly four years since we had this party, so this was one of the games I had forgotten about.

I ended up having to ask AS Jonathan what Bomberman game we had played on that night, and oddly enough, he had just been thinking about the exact same thing. He was able to determine, through deduction, that we had played Mega Bomberman, because it has a four-player mode.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-mega-bomberman/feed/0Classic Gaming Night!: Kirby Superstar – Samurai Kirbyhttps://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-kirby-superstar-samurai-kirby/
https://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-kirby-superstar-samurai-kirby/#respondTue, 02 Dec 2014 19:00:44 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2407I lived in Japan for eight and a half years, and returned to Canada in 1997. As result, when I first returned to Canada, I was ahead of the curve in terms of video games. I knew about games no one knew about, and I knew who was going to win the then-current console wars. […]

]]>I lived in Japan for eight and a half years, and returned to Canada in 1997.

As result, when I first returned to Canada, I was ahead of the curve in terms of video games. I knew about games no one knew about, and I knew who was going to win the then-current console wars.

However, I missed some things back in North America while I was in Japan, like grunge music.

Over time, I got used to life back in Canada, and stopped keeping up with new developments in Japan. That’s how I missed games like this one. The classic gaming night was the first time I played Kirby Superstar.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-kirby-superstar-samurai-kirby/feed/0Classic Gaming Night!: Pat Attempts to Finish Contra with No Deathshttps://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-pat-attempts-finish-contra-no-deaths/
https://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-pat-attempts-finish-contra-no-deaths/#respondMon, 01 Dec 2014 19:00:30 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2386I know it’s been a while, but I’m finally getting around to posting the last few classic gaming night videos on our YouTube channel. In case there’s any doubt, I am fully aware that these aren’t the highest quality videos. However, I think you can see that we had a lot of fun that night, […]

]]>I know it’s been a while, but I’m finally getting around to posting the last few classic gaming night videos on our YouTube channel.

In case there’s any doubt, I am fully aware that these aren’t the highest quality videos. However, I think you can see that we had a lot of fun that night, and believe it or not, AS Jonathan and I still talk about it from time to time. I hope that much comes across.

Back in those days, if there was a Nintendo around, Pat would usually pull out Contra at some point. He would then attempt to beat the game without any deaths. I’ve seen him accomplish this feat at least once, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t on this occasion.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/classic-gaming-night-pat-attempts-finish-contra-no-deaths/feed/0Elysium – Max Da Costa Drawing Time Lapsehttps://arcticsunburn.com/elysium-max-da-costa-drawing-time-lapse/
https://arcticsunburn.com/elysium-max-da-costa-drawing-time-lapse/#respondFri, 28 Nov 2014 16:57:57 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2380You may have seen our Elysium review, which we have been promoting pretty heavily. You may also have noticed that we put together a Max Da Costa illustration for that particular review. It just so happens that we captured the drawing of this illustration on video! I know, right? So, without further nonsense, here’s (quite […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/elysium-max-da-costa-drawing-time-lapse/feed/0Elysium Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/elysium-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/elysium-review/#respondFri, 28 Nov 2014 16:00:03 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2327Our story’s protagonist, Max Da Costa (played by Matt Damon), is a blue collar worker on planet Earth, which has turned into a filthy wasteland that the poor occupy. The rich, on the other hand, reside on the pristine orbital space colony of Elysium, where a medical bay can heal even the most deadly of […]

What Elysium delivers is a gritty and intense experience of an underdog who emerges as a self-sacrificing hero.

Our story’s protagonist, Max Da Costa (played by Matt Damon), is a blue collar worker on planet Earth, which has turned into a filthy wasteland that the poor occupy. The rich, on the other hand, reside on the pristine orbital space colony of Elysium, where a medical bay can heal even the most deadly of diseases in mere seconds.

Unfortunate for Max, he takes a lethal dose of radiation on the job, leaving him a mere five days to live. His only hope of survival is to find a way onto Elysium, where they mercilessly shoot down shuttles trying to enter their space illegally. And, if you do happen to make it onto the station – and you aren’t killed upon arrival – they deport you. Damn.

Max decides to enlist the help of Spider (played by Wagner Moura), who might be able to provide him with a means to enter the atmosphere of the elusive Elysium. Spider agrees to find him a way, but first sends him on a mission to interrupt John Carlyle (played by William Fichtner) to obtain vital data concerning Elysium that will enable his entry. But first, Spider’s gang surgically installs an exoskeleton on Max so he can continue to operate (more like bulldoze) under the deadly influence of radiation.

With some difficultly and some casualties in tow, Max is able to complete his mission. Unfortunately, Spider is powerless to send him up to Elysium, as Secretary of Defense Delacourt (played by Jodie Foster) grows wise to their operation. Her secret police force (more like shady guns-for-hire) led by crazy Kruger (played by Sharlto Copley) start hunting them down.

They succeed in kidnapping Da Costa’s one and only love – Frey (played by Alice Braga) and her daughter – and make way to Elysium, but Max is not far behind.

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Direction

Writer and director Neill Blomkamp is largely responsible for the ups and downs represented in this film. Giving more than one role to a controlling individual is usually a recipe for side-splitting disaster, but in this case it seems to have worked out decently.

If anything, another writer probably would not have hurt this movie, as the overarching theme of segregation of poor and rich is a little too conspicuous, and some fairly high-profile actors are present but not delivering performances they’re fully capable of (thus the need for more direction). Aside from that, you have a pretty fascinating movie.

As an aside, the notion that the elite class is unusually cruel and selfish seems a little outdated in today’s world. It’s still a common perception, but it isn’t true in many cases. Yes, there are definitely greedy, self-occupied people in this world, but that can literally happen at any level of wealth or poverty. As far as I’m concerned, greed is not a dollar amount, though hoarding may be.

Noting that, could you see a story like this playing out in real life? I’ll leave that to your imagination.

The Effects, The Visuals & The Action

This is where this movie shines, sometimes literally. From the majestic space colony of Elysium to the gripping action scenes and the accompanying arsenal of gadgets and weapons, Elysium definitely delivers the goods.

The action scenes are over-the-top and intense, not unlike some modern video games out there. Things appear entirely hopeless for Max on numerous counts, but he somehow survives to confront Kruger (perhaps the most deadly battle of all) and sacrifice himself to make Elysium a place where the average person can inhabit and receive treatment for their wounds and illnesses.

Suffice to say, a lot of people die in the process.

Final Thoughts

I rather enjoyed Elysium, but it was clear from the beginning that it was never going to live up to some of my favorites in the genre, including The Matrixand Inception. I don’t like to make those my eternal benchmarks for excellent Sci-Fi/Action movies, but I don’t think it’s unfair to say that Elysium was up against some heavy competition.

Like Avatar, it relies pretty heavily on the action and the visuals, and gambles on a lackluster storyline. It touches on the greed and selfishness of humanity, and isn’t too subtle in getting there either. A little trite, perhaps?

As far as the “Would I watch it again?” test, this movie passes. I’m not sure that I would make a regular thing of it, but a second viewing wouldn’t be completely unwelcome. For that, I will give it a fairly generous seven out of 10 rating.

In general, I think we need more and better Sci-Fi, so I can’t be too harsh on this movie. It definitely would have benefited from a more polished storyline that was less focused on the common man and the “untouchable rich”, but you can’t completely ignore its positive qualities – of which there are several – either.

(7 / 10)

P.S. This is a pretty funny post from our Facebook community, and we couldn’t resist sharing it with you:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/elysium-review/feed/0That’s Tight – We’re Back!https://arcticsunburn.com/thats-tight-back/
https://arcticsunburn.com/thats-tight-back/#respondMon, 17 Nov 2014 18:32:43 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2323More accurately, we never really left. The truth of the matter is that there were some issues with our hosting provider. Bleh. It’s a long story; I don’t really want to talk about it. So, we don’t really have huge plans for updating the site right now, because we’re all involved in other projects, but […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/thats-tight-back/feed/0013 – Gaming, Movies and Marketing with The Doge Pound Part 2 of 2https://arcticsunburn.com/013-gaming-movies-marketing-doge-pound-part-2-2/
https://arcticsunburn.com/013-gaming-movies-marketing-doge-pound-part-2-2/#respondFri, 11 Jul 2014 22:00:36 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2316You know the deal. The Doge Pound chats with us some more! Topics of discussion include the Steam Summer Sale, PCs, email spam, podcasting ideas, movies, and anime. Click the play (►) button on the media player above to mitigate the effects of global warming. Yeah, we went there. But seriously, press play. There you […]

Andrew mentions Repli-KateBuy it on Amazon(Ali Landry was kind of overrated when she first emerged on the scene, but if you’re not crushing on her by the end of this movie, there’s something wrong with you)

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/013-gaming-movies-marketing-doge-pound-part-2-2/feed/0You know the deal. The Doge Pound chats with us some more! Topics of discussion include the Steam Summer Sale, PCs, email spam, podcasting ideas, movies, and anime. Click the play (►) button on the media player above to mitigate the effects of global ...You know the deal. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Doge Pound</a> chats with us some more! Topics of discussion include the Steam Summer Sale, PCs, email spam, podcasting ideas, movies, and anime.
Click the play (►) button on the media player above to mitigate the effects of global warming. Yeah, we went there. But seriously, press play. There you go.
Disclaimer: there is some questionable language in this and <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/012-gaming-movies-marketing-doge-pound-part-1-2/" target="_blank">in the last episode</a> of the podcast. Listener discretion is advised.
Andrew’s audio is still distorting a bit (quite a bit) in this episode. We're sorry. If you make it to the end of the show, thank you. Oh, and get some real friends!
Call To Actions:
Just how we like them; clearly marked!
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (thanks, you're a champ)
Subscribe to <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Share this podcast episode with everyone... seriously.
Leave a comment below, for posterity's sake. If you like posteriors, you qualify.
Show Notes:
These awesome show notes were brought to you by MXC. Because your grandma's ruptured spleen just wasn't cutting it. Just kidding! It was us.
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.teamfortress.com/">Team Fortress 2</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00140S21O/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00140S21O&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=CXRGUJZEEF5N7PP3">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://supergiantgames.com/index.php/media/">Bastion</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VXCPRY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B008VXCPRY&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=MYVMMCG43JKVCITJ">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ftlgame.com/">FTL: Faster Than Light</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7GNPO2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00D7GNPO2&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=5DYAIKFGCJ5RFSYH">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garrysmod.com/">Garry's Mod</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.magickagame.com/">Magicka</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JN176K/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004JN176K&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=QEKJ6VBHGLHKDNTS">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.markoftheninja.com/">Mark of the Ninja</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29">Portal</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00140P9G0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00140P9G0&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=6KKU4BE7RH5N2NZ5">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://projectzomboid.com/">Project Zomboid</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://playrust.com/">Rust</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ys_I_%26_II">YS I & II Chornicles</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.AS Movies & Gamesno1:03:02012 – Gaming, Movies and Marketing with The Doge Pound Part 1 of 2https://arcticsunburn.com/012-gaming-movies-marketing-doge-pound-part-1-2/
https://arcticsunburn.com/012-gaming-movies-marketing-doge-pound-part-1-2/#respondFri, 04 Jul 2014 22:00:08 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2312That’s right, The Doge Pound is back again. This show was lovingly hosted by Jay. Well, not really, but it certainly could have been, as he carried the majority of this and the following episode all on his own. Click the play (►) button on the media player above to make the voices in your […]

]]>That’s right, The Doge Pound is back again. This show was lovingly hosted by Jay. Well, not really, but it certainly could have been, as he carried the majority of this and the following episode all on his own.

Click the play (►) button on the media player above to make the voices in your head go away. You can replace them with new, better voices. There you go.

Disclaimer: there is some questionable language in this episode of the podcast.Listener discretion is advised.

Andrew’s audio is distorting a little bit this time, but at least you can hear him. Overlords are less aggravated, but we apologize nonetheless.

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/012-gaming-movies-marketing-doge-pound-part-1-2/feed/0That's right, The Doge Pound is back again. This show was lovingly hosted by Jay. Well, not really, but it certainly could have been, as he carried the majority of this and the following episode all on his own. That's right, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound">The Doge Pound</a> is back again. This show was lovingly hosted by Jay. Well, not really, but it certainly could have been, as he carried the majority of this and the following episode all on his own.
Click the play (►) button on the media player above to make the voices in your head go away. You can replace them with new, better voices. There you go.
Disclaimer: there is some questionable language in this episode of the podcast. Listener discretion is advised.
<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/the-doge-pound-banner.jpg"></a>
Andrew's audio is distorting a little bit this time, but at least you can hear him. Overlords are less aggravated, but we apologize nonetheless.
Call To Actions:
Just how we like them; clearly marked!
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (you're clearly falling behind the times if you haven't already)
Subscribe to <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Share this podcast episode with your friends, friends!
Leave a comment below, fo sho... (did that rhyme?)
Show Notes:
Show notes brought to you by zombies. Just kidding. It was us (although it's entirely possible that we're the undead too).
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://thestompingland.com/">The Stomping Land</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://projectzomboid.com/">Project Zomboid</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mirrorsedge.com/">Mirror's Edge</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047O2Q02/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0047O2Q02&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=VJ2SAVEMP4DO7HZJ">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/">Humble Bundle</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.infobarrel.com/Why_Im_Loving_Microsoft_Windows_81">Why I'm Loving Microsoft Windows 8.1</a>
FlameTongue mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tornbanner.com/chivalry/">Chivalry Medieval Warfare</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D3TT69G/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00D3TT69G&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=HKHXNLAKLMAHJA2O">Buy it on Amazon</a>
FlameTongue mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://harebrained-schemes.com/shadowrun/">Shadowrun Returns</a>
Andrew mentions Saint Seiya Ougon Densetsu Kanketsu Hen (we should probably make a page for this)
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dragonball.com/">Dragon Ball</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.calgarystampede.com/">Calgary Stampede</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/Jay_Doge">Jay LP</a> (Jay's steam ID; add him!)
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/l337sp0on/">Dr. L337Sp0on</a> (our steam ID; add us!)
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.machinima.com/">Machinima</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://minecraft.net/">Minecraft</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BU3ZLJQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BU3ZLJQ&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=PUAYYE27VFQSDWRT">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="h...AS Movies & Gamesno1:00:56011 – Survival Island !, ActRaiser, Various SNES Games and Comedy Movieshttps://arcticsunburn.com/011-survival-island-actraiser-various-snes-games-comedy-movies/
https://arcticsunburn.com/011-survival-island-actraiser-various-snes-games-comedy-movies/#respondFri, 06 Jun 2014 22:00:46 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2303Yup! It’s us! I know, right? Andrew is back with another solo podcast episode. The last one was episode 2 (well, technically episode 1; but who cares about technicalities?). Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear Andrew’s magnificent and soothing voice. Don’t be afraid. It will be okay. There you […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/011-survival-island-actraiser-various-snes-games-comedy-movies/feed/0Yup! It's us! I know, right? - Andrew is back with another solo podcast episode. The last one was episode 2 (well, technically episode 1; but who cares about technicalities?). Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear Andrew's magni...<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>Yup! It's us! I know, right?
Andrew is back with another solo podcast episode. The last one was <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/002-step-brothers-review/" target="_blank">episode 2</a> (well, technically <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/001-the-first-ever-as-movies-games-podcast/" target="_blank">episode 1</a>; but who cares about technicalities?).
Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear Andrew's magnificent and soothing voice. Don't be afraid. It will be okay. There you go.
We weren't entirely sure what we wanted to do this week (blog post, video, illustration, etc.), but it seemed like a good idea to make the podcast a priority, so that's what we settled on.
<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/actraiser.jpg"></a>Andrew discusses a mobile game, a few SNES (or Super Famicom) games, and touches on what he's been watching lately. It's all old stuff!
By the way, if you happen to know what "tactical turn-based gargoyle game" Andrew is referring to, make sure to leave a comment below! Be a friend; don't leave a comment unattended.
Call To Actions:
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (there will be a test on this)
Share this podcast episode with your bros!
Leave a comment below, bud!
Show Notes:
These awesome show notes were provided by that guy who slipped on a rock, fell in the pond, and ruptured his spleen. Just kidding! It was us.
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAywL99AXGA5WL1pAtCpVoQ">The Doge Pound</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nicobit.DesertIsland&hl=en">Survival Island ! - Escape from the desert island!</a> (oops... this might actually be a Japanese development; go figure)
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Phantasia">Tales of Phantasia</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RK620S/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002RK620S&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=JOTX2OZ5HPQ7LRVK">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActRaiser">ActRaiser</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000035XYC/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000035XYC&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=DNOSY3DLNBNI6PO7">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania">Castlevania</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005AV8W/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00005AV8W&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=QRUZUXWAFWGRUCVC">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Quest_V:_Hand_of_the_Heavenly_Bride">Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NJMMHG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001NJMMHG&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=3IUMXDJD2GPDRA4L">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127723/">Can't Hardly Wait</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000F0AD/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00000F0AD&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=DKVP6UO6JGDA7C3D">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://w...AS Movies & Gamesno17:20010 – The Doge Pound Returns! Part 2 of 2https://arcticsunburn.com/010-doge-pound-returns-part-2-2/
https://arcticsunburn.com/010-doge-pound-returns-part-2-2/#respondFri, 30 May 2014 22:00:40 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2296More messing around and general tomfoolery with The Doge Pound in the momentous 10th episode of the AS Movies & Games Podcast! Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear the awesomeness. Trust us. You’ll like it. There you go. Disclaimer: there is some questionable language and suggestive allusions in this, […]

]]>More messing around and general tomfoolery with The Doge Pound in the momentous 10th episode of the AS Movies & Games Podcast!

Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear the awesomeness. Trust us. You’ll like it. There you go.

Disclaimer: there is some questionable language and suggestive allusions in this, and in the last episode of the podcast.Listener discretion is advised.

By the way, we want to apologize for the audio quality. It’s not bad for the most part, but apparently Andrew’s condenser mic conveniently decided to turn into a dynamic mic, so any time he moved away from it, you couldn’t hear him properly. Bogus. Oh well, not much we can do now.

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/010-doge-pound-returns-part-2-2/feed/0More messing around and general tomfoolery with The Doge Pound in the momentous 10th episode of the AS Movies & Games Podcast! Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear the awesomeness. Trust us. You'll like it. There you go. <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>More messing around and general tomfoolery with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound">The Doge Pound</a> in the momentous 10th episode of the AS Movies & Games Podcast!
Click the play (►) button on the media player above to hear the awesomeness. Trust us. You'll like it. There you go.
Disclaimer: there is some questionable language and suggestive allusions in this, and in the <a target="_blank" href="https://arcticsunburn.com/009-doge-pound-returns-part-1-2/">last episode</a> of the podcast. Listener discretion is advised.
<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/the-doge-pound-banner.jpg"></a>
By the way, we want to apologize for the audio quality. It's not bad for the most part, but apparently Andrew's condenser mic conveniently decided to turn into a dynamic mic, so any time he moved away from it, you couldn't hear him properly. Bogus. Oh well, not much we can do now.
Call To Actions:
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (what are you waiting for?)
Subscribe to <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Share this podcast episode with your friends!
Leave a comment below, kids!
Show Notes:
These super-charged show notes provided by mystery sludge! Just kidding. It was us.
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/xCloud8745x/">xCloud8745x</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0YgNRK_a58">Super Mario Bros. 2 Hardcore</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/PewDiePie">PewDiePie</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRPGMinx">TheRPGMinx</a>
Story mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://dogecoin.com/">Dogecoin</a> (is <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/news/lunar-iditarod-dogecoin-literally-going-moon/2014/05/08">going to the moon</a>?)
Story mentions <a target="_blank" href="https://arcticsunburn.com/japans-anticipated-game-titles-final-fantasy-xv-mario-kart-8-others/">Japan's Most Anticipated Game Titles: Final Fantasy XV, Mario Kart 8 And Others</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_V">Final Fantasy V</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HE9LEK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000HE9LEK&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=7ZZNJO4SVSV4G4XO">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VI">Final Fantasy VI</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LY4IDK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000LY4IDK&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=ZXDL3ZC2J7H2PH7H">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.finalfantasyviipc.com/">Final Fantasy VII</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000JRSB/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00000JRSB&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=SCDI7P7ET64L3MVR">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" href="https://arcticsunburn.com/spring-breakers-review/">Spring Breakers Review</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BEJL4XS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?AS Movies & Gamesno55:17009 – The Doge Pound Returns! Part 1 of 2https://arcticsunburn.com/009-doge-pound-returns-part-1-2/
https://arcticsunburn.com/009-doge-pound-returns-part-1-2/#respondFri, 23 May 2014 22:00:16 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2288The Doge Pound is back on the AS Movies & Games podcast, and this time, we talk for even longer than last time! Thus the need to split up the talk into two episodes. Click the play (►) button on the media player above to get started. Seriously. Get with the times already. Yes, there […]

]]>The Doge Pound is back on the AS Movies & Games podcast, and this time, we talk for even longer than last time! Thus the need to split up the talk into two episodes.

Click the play (►) button on the media player above to get started. Seriously. Get with the times already. Yes, there really is a media player up there. There you go.

Disclaimer: there is some questionable language and suggestive allusions in these episodes. Not as bad as some shows we know, but make sure to take whatever precautions you need before listening to the awesomeness.

On this particular occasion, Andrew was joined by Jay, Story, and FlameTongue of The Doge Pound.

By the way, if you missed the previous episode of the show, we do recommend going back and listening to that as well. You don’t need a lot of context for this episode, but it can help.

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/009-doge-pound-returns-part-1-2/feed/0The Doge Pound is back on the AS Movies & Games podcast, and this time, we talk for even longer than last time! Thus the need to split up the talk into two episodes. Click the play (►) button on the media player above to get started. Seriously.<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>The Doge Pound is back on the AS Movies & Games podcast, and this time, we talk for even longer than last time! Thus the need to split up the talk into two episodes.
Click the play (►) button on the media player above to get started. Seriously. Get with the times already. Yes, there really is a media player up there. There you go.
Disclaimer: there is some questionable language and suggestive allusions in these episodes. Not as bad as some shows we know, but make sure to take whatever precautions you need before listening to the awesomeness.
On this particular occasion, Andrew was joined by Jay, Story, and FlameTongue of <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound">The Doge Pound</a>.
<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/the-doge-pound-banner.jpg"></a>
By the way, if you missed <a target="_blank" href="https://arcticsunburn.com/008-doge-pound-invades-podcast/">the previous episode</a> of the show, we do recommend going back and listening to that as well. You don't need a lot of context for this episode, but it can help.
Call To Actions
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (you know you want to)
Subscribe to <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Show Notes:
These extensive and relatively thorough shows notes provided by... Big Bird. No, it was us actually.
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/chickachickaboomguy">chickachickaboomguy</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" href="http://jonathanferguson.ca/">Jonathan Ferguson</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/games/sc/">StartCraft</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000DMAI/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00000DMAI&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=ZUYHBMWDY5JDQILI">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="Nofollow" href="http://www.callofduty.com/">Call of Duty 2</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B60H88/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000B60H88&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=XAR2R7Z3HXAFK2RQ">Buy it on Amazon</a>
FlameTongue mentions <a target="_blank" href="http://www.piratehearts.com/blog/games/you-have-to-win-the-game/">You Have to Win the Game</a> (check out The Doge Pound's <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPX9BYQXbyc">video</a>)
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.spaceengineersgame.com/">Space Engineers</a> (check out our post about it <a target="_blank" href="https://arcticsunburn.com/doge-pounds-genre-week-jay-plays-space-engineers/">here</a>)
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://theportalwiki.com/wiki/Thinking_with_Time_Machine">Thinking with Time Machine</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/">The Elder Scrolls Online</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081Q58AW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0081Q58AW&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=54GIUMIOCQMSV4NO">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Jay mentions <a target="_blank" href="http://7daystodie.com/">7 Days to Die</a>
Andrew mentions <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://orange.half-life2.com/">Half-Life 2</a>: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http:...AS Movies & Gamesno56:11The Doge Pound’s Genre of the Week: Jay Plays Space Engineershttps://arcticsunburn.com/doge-pounds-genre-week-jay-plays-space-engineers/
https://arcticsunburn.com/doge-pounds-genre-week-jay-plays-space-engineers/#respondThu, 15 May 2014 22:00:17 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2271What’s up, AS community? Having a good wreck so far? I mean week? Never mind good… you should be having a great week! Why? Because you have arrived, my friend. This is the place to be. Moreover, it’s lame to be having a bad week. Everyone has bad weeks. Dare to be different! For today’s […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/doge-pounds-genre-week-jay-plays-space-engineers/feed/0The Doge Pound – Channel Trailerhttps://arcticsunburn.com/doge-pound-channel-trailer/
https://arcticsunburn.com/doge-pound-channel-trailer/#commentsThu, 08 May 2014 22:00:42 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2264Last week, we had The Doge Pound on the podcast (if you haven’t checked it out already, you’re missing out big time), and we intend to build a long-lasting relationship with them. Gabefornow (from the AS team) was sorely missed on the show, and likewise Pooch (from The Doge), but we hope to rectify that […]

]]>Last week, we had The Doge Pound on the podcast (if you haven’t checked it out already, you’re missing out big time), and we intend to build a long-lasting relationship with them. Gabefornow (from the AS team) was sorely missed on the show, and likewise Pooch (from The Doge), but we hope to rectify that situation soon.

Though we haven’t defined our exact terms for partnership as of yet (yes, AS and The Doge are in cahoots), they’ve already started plugging us and linking us up (how nice!). So, likewise, we’re going to start promoting their content. We’re cool like that (don’t you wish your blogging friends were fun like me?).

So, to get things underway (*the horn sounds*), we’re going to feature their channel trailer from YouTube right here on the blog. Check it out below!

In this video you will learn:

Here at AS Movies & Games, we recommend subscribing to their YouTube channel for extra brownie points. That will help you keep on top of all of their videos too. Our overlords would feel fantastic and fortunate if our Felix friends were rewarded for their fabulous work (check out how many f-words I managed to fit in to that last sentence; and I don’t mean curse words).

By the way, this video features footage from Team Fortress 2 (affiliate link; in case you want to buy the game). I’m rather fond of that TF2. It’s a gooder.

So, reader, thanks for joining us on another wondrous journey through the world of gaming. We hope you’ll join us again next week for another awesome post. What am I saying? Of course you’ll be there!

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/doge-pound-channel-trailer/feed/2008 – The Doge Pound Invades the Podcast!https://arcticsunburn.com/008-doge-pound-invades-podcast/
https://arcticsunburn.com/008-doge-pound-invades-podcast/#respondFri, 02 May 2014 22:00:17 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2238And we’re back with another bestest episode of the AS Movies & Games podcast! Click the play (►) button on the media player above to get started. There you go. Now you can hear us. Housekeeping disclaimer: remember kids, don’t drink soy sauce straight! There might be some questionable language in this episode too. But […]

Click the play (►) button on the media player above to get started. There you go. Now you can hear us.

And this time (*the trumpet sounds*), Jay and Story from The Doge Pound join Andrew in a conversation about – what else – movies and games!

The Doge Pound!

The conversation began with two simple questions:

What have you been playing recently? and…

What have you been watching recently?

However, it didn’t stay on-topic for long, as the three delve into a variety of games, movies, and even online marketing related discussions like social media and crowdfunding. Leave it to wandering minds to get derailed mid sen… wait, what was I talking about?

Don’t forget; if you are listening to this, you are the man… or WO-man (we’re all about political correctness here) as the case may be. But you’re probably a man. Our audience is predominantly male. But we want to welcome the ladies too.

So, while you’re here (you’re still here, right?), come and subscribe to our YouTube channels and the Universe will bless you in return. Trust us. It’s a direct word from the overlords.

Oh, did you want more call to actions? Sorry, we’re out. Just kidding!

Additional Call to Actions

Go ahead and share this on all of your favorite social platforms (use the convenient social sharing buttons you see at the top of your screen, dude… or dudette). That will help us get the word out there. Leave a five-star review on iTunes too. Then email and text this episode to all of your friends. Then, subscribe to our feed. Then, leave a comment, wherever you happen to be listening (iTunes, SoundCloud, our website, etc.). Come on, the Universe will give you even more blessings for it. Seriously.

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/008-doge-pound-invades-podcast/feed/0And we're back with another bestest episode of the AS Movies & Games podcast! - Click the play (►) button on the media player above to get started. There you go. Now you can hear us. - Housekeeping disclaimer: remember kids,<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>And we're back with another bestest episode of the AS Movies & Games podcast!
Click the play (►) button on the media player above to get started. There you go. Now you can hear us.
Housekeeping disclaimer: remember kids, don't drink soy sauce straight! There might be some questionable language in this episode too. But maybe not. Actually, there is.
And this time (*the trumpet sounds*), Jay and Story from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank">The Doge Pound</a> join Andrew in a conversation about - what else - movies and games!
The Doge Pound!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank"></a>
The conversation began with two simple questions:
What have you been playing recently? and...
What have you been watching recently?
However, it didn't stay on-topic for long, as the three delve into a variety of games, movies, and even online marketing related discussions like social media and crowdfunding. Leave it to wandering minds to get derailed mid sen... wait, what was I talking about?
Don't forget; if you are listening to this, you are the man... or WO-man (we're all about political correctness here) as the case may be. But you're probably a man. Our audience is predominantly male. But we want to welcome the ladies too.
So, while you're here (you're still here, right?), come and subscribe to our YouTube channels and the Universe will bless you in return. Trust us. It's a direct word from the overlords.
Here's links:
Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDogePound" target="_blank">The Doge Pound YouTube channel</a>
Subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchnemesisX" target="_blank">AS Movies & Games YouTube channel</a>
Oh, and while you're at it...
Subscribe to the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-movies-games-podcast/id815130889?mt=2" target="_blank">AS Movies & Games Podcast</a> (you know you want to)
Oh, did you want more call to actions? Sorry, we're out. Just kidding!
Additional Call to Actions
Go ahead and share this on all of your favorite social platforms (use the convenient social sharing buttons you see at the top of your screen, dude... or dudette). That will help us get the word out there. Leave a five-star review on iTunes too. Then email and text this episode to all of your friends. Then, <a href="http://www.arcticsunburn.com/feed/" target="_blank">subscribe to our feed</a>. Then, leave a comment, wherever you happen to be listening (iTunes, SoundCloud, our website, etc.). Come on, the Universe will give you even more blessings for it. Seriously.
Show Notes:
These extensive and fairly thorough show notes provided by... us!
Story mentions <a href="http://www.ftlgame.com/" target="_blank">FTL: Faster Than Light</a> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7GNPO2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00D7GNPO2&linkCode=as2&tag=arsuvigaremor-20&linkId=M5OOZXXEA4VH3XU6">Buy it on Amazon</a>
Andrew mentions <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ryanholiday/tmil-slideshare-v19" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Trading Up The Chain</a> (not gaming or movie related... marketing related)
Jay mentions <a href="http://projectzomboid.com/" target="_blank">Project Zomboid</a>
Jay mentions <a href="http://piracysim.com/" target="_blank">Pixel Piracy</a>
Jay mentions <a href="http://www.terraria.org/" target="_blank">Terraria</a> (you can check out our video review <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcaJ96bg36o" target="_blank">here</a> and The Doge Pound's video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5GvX9L8WQ8" target="_blank">here</a>) <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IXMF5CU/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?AS Movies & Gamesno1:33:58Super Power League 2 for the Super Famicomhttps://arcticsunburn.com/super-power-league-2-super-famicom/
https://arcticsunburn.com/super-power-league-2-super-famicom/#respondWed, 30 Apr 2014 17:18:52 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2243Have you ever been addicted? Oh, come on. Fine, no one’s going to own up to that. So let me rephrase my question… Have you ever been addicted to a fun game? Of course you have! Super Power League 2 Well, Super Power League 2 is a game that should probably be kept a fair […]

Oh, come on. Fine, no one’s going to own up to that. So let me rephrase my question…

Have you ever been addicted to a fun game?

Of course you have!

Super Power League 2

Well, Super Power League 2 is a game that should probably be kept a fair distance from me at any given time (if you know what I mean). At least I can admit it.

It’s just a baseball game, but man, the Japanese sure know what they’re doing. With Hudson’s Super Power League 2, not only can you play through a full season (and championship series), the game will actually track the stats of every player. Every the stats, all the player (you think that’s a grammatical mistake, but I actually said it on purpose)! Even the real-life stadiums appear with their real names.

The team and player names are actually real, too. Of course, the game is true to the Japanese professional baseball league (in the mid 90s, when the game came out), so North Americans aren’t terribly likely to recognize most of the players let alone read their name (though Hideki Matsui and Ichiro Suzuki actually appear in this game).

So, maybe, you have to know Japanese to fully appreciate this. I think you can play it without understanding Japanese, but you would end up missing some of the subtleties.

The Addiction Factor

For some reason, I’ve always liked stats, and games that keep track of them. I’m pretty sure that’s why I played NBA Live 2004 to death.

I also know all the tricks with this game. Maybe I’m weird, but I just like winning. Everyone watches me own at a game, and then they go, “it’s time to increase the difficulty, bro.” I’m already playing on the hardest mode!

Additional Information

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/super-power-league-2-super-famicom/feed/0Thank You for Your Support!https://arcticsunburn.com/thank-support/
https://arcticsunburn.com/thank-support/#respondThu, 20 Mar 2014 22:00:26 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2207Both Gabefornow and I are immensely grateful for the support we have been receiving over the last few years, and, in particular, the last few months. If you go into our archives, you will see that we’ve been consistently producing new content for 18 months straight. In reality, I created the site back in 2009, […]

]]>Both Gabefornow and I are immensely grateful for the support we have been receiving over the last few years, and, in particular, the last few months.

If you go into our archives, you will see that we’ve been consistently producing new content for 18 months straight. In reality, I created the site back in 2009, and even before that, I was starting to write movie and video game reviews, possibly even in 2008. This site is now the culmination of all of those efforts. It has been quite the ride.

However, Gabefornow and I both need to take some time to figure out our financial life. Though I think every site owner and blogger hopes that his or her site produces for them, that isn’t necessarily the main focus with us, nor is it necessarily the reason we’re stopping.

With the addition of Gabefornow, we started doing more indie game reviews, and we were hoping to continue to reach out to the indie community. We made many changes to the website, hoping to create a better user experience for our visitors. You don’t address these issues and dedicate yourself to these tasks in anticipation of going on hiatus.

Certainly, there are always different motives that go behind running a site like this, and while I’m not saying that our motivation has always been pure (a little financial remuneration is always nice), we have been working on adding more value to the world around us. We hope that we have, even in a small way.

For this site to be everything that it should be and could be, the team needs to eliminate financial pressure. Too much mind space is taken up by debt and paying the bills, and anyone that it’s in this situation knows that it throws you off-balance, regardless of your intentions.

This isn’t necessarily “the end”. We hope to come back to this project when we have more freedom in our lives and when money is under control. We hope to have more fun than we’ve ever had in the past.

In order for that to happen, “free” or volunteer projects need to be made less of a priority in our schedule. I am mostly saying that because, of anyone, my priorities have been the most “out of whack”. I simply cannot believe how much of my time has gone towards non-paying projects in the last 18 months. I am only now realizing my personal value, which is worth so much more.

When we are ready to come back, it will likely be with new additions to the team. This was never meant to be a one-man show, and I would absolutely love to see more content creators collaborating and contributing.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/cutie-honey-fan-art/feed/0Aeris Gainsborough Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/aeris-gainsborough-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/aeris-gainsborough-fan-art/#respondTue, 18 Mar 2014 22:00:23 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2198I think I’ve already established the fact that Tifa is my favorite Final Fantasy VII character. There’s nothing wrong with Aeris, and it was a bit of a surprise that she got killed in FFVII, but if you asked me to try to describe her, there’s only so much I could say about her. That’s […]

]]>I think I’ve already established the fact that Tifa is my favorite Final Fantasy VII character. There’s nothing wrong with Aeris, and it was a bit of a surprise that she got killed in FFVII, but if you asked me to try to describe her, there’s only so much I could say about her. That’s how memorable she was.

Okay, okay. That’s a little harsh. It has been a while since I last played FFVII. Aeris does have a nice, demure, motherly quality about her. She wasn’t the strongest character (and by that I mean she didn’t serve that big of a purpose in the story), but it did strengthen the emotional content of the game.

Okay, I will shut up now. I know Aeris is loved by many. I’m sorry.

As for the drawing, I did not intend for the fan art to turn out as “dark” as it is. I probably shouldn’t have added as much shadowing on her face as I did. I was also trying to make her smile, but Aeris just wouldn’t smile for me. How very philosophical.

If you look close enough, she doesn’t look too contemplative or unhappy though. It’s just at first glance that it may appear that way. It’s deceptive.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/aeris-gainsborough-fan-art/feed/0Princess Peach Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/princess-peach-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/princess-peach-fan-art/#respondMon, 17 Mar 2014 22:00:29 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2195You knew this was coming, didn’t you? It was begging to be done. While I would not say that I am a big fan of Princess Peach (she’s okay I guess), it seems as though most illustrators who draw female game characters eventually visit this subject. The damsel in distress (abducted by King Koopa again) […]

While I would not say that I am a big fan of Princess Peach (she’s okay I guess), it seems as though most illustrators who draw female game characters eventually visit this subject. The damsel in distress (abducted by King Koopa again) often makes for interesting art. You can make what you want of that word, “interesting”.

Maybe I just needed to find another character to draw (likely). Or, maybe, I needed a bit of a challenge (not as likely).

The interesting thing is that Princess Peach is generally a very computerized character. In many modern Mario games, she usually looks like a collection of polygons. Her hairstyle is blocky and angular. Her dress is comprised of simple shapes. There haven’t been many realistic looking adaptations of Princess Peach; not in the game series anyway (there are plenty of artists who’ve done some cool things with her). So that also makes her an interesting subject to re-imagine as an artist.

Anyway, I think the drawing turned out quite good. Again, the hair is a little weird, but it’s definitely recognizable as Princess Peach. I am also quite happy with the shading in this instance.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/princess-peach-fan-art/feed/0Samus Aran Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/samus-aran-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/samus-aran-fan-art/#respondFri, 14 Mar 2014 22:00:40 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2192Hmm… What can I say about Samus Aran? Well, I probably don’t need to say too much about the otherwise sublime Metroid series. If you haven’t played any of the Metroid games, you should stop everything you’re doing and go check them out now. Super Metroid is perhaps the most accessible, and the best place […]

Well, I probably don’t need to say too much about the otherwise sublime Metroid series. If you haven’t played any of the Metroid games, you should stop everything you’re doing and go check them out now. Super Metroid is perhaps the most accessible, and the best place to start, but even the original Metroid for NES was a pretty great game.

If I’m not mistaken, the protagonist of the series was always female, but I don’t think it was common knowledge until Super Metroid and its sequels. If I remember correctly, in Super Metroid, there was a scene in which she removes her combat suit and it becomes clear that it’s a “she”, but I think it was a hard ending to unlock.

Everyone knows about it these days, but awesome, right?

These days she’s often seen in her Zero Suit (incidentally, my fan art is also Samus in her Zero Suit), which leaves very little to the imagination. It’s sort of like Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager.

Anyway, I like how this drawing turned out. The thin line art wins again! This fan art actually came together very quickly. I just hope she looks girly enough.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/samus-aran-fan-art/feed/0Tifa Lockhart Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/tifa-lockhart-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/tifa-lockhart-fan-art/#respondThu, 13 Mar 2014 22:00:16 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2189Let’s face it; the coolest character in the Final Fantasy VII was not Cloud. You could choose Barret, Aeris, Red XIII, Yuffie, Vincent or even Sephiroth if you wanted to, and I wouldn’t get angry, but if you said “Cloud” I couldn’t be held liable for my subsequent actions. No, in my opinion, the coolest […]

]]>Let’s face it; the coolest character in the Final Fantasy VII was not Cloud. You could choose Barret, Aeris, Red XIII, Yuffie, Vincent or even Sephiroth if you wanted to, and I wouldn’t get angry, but if you said “Cloud” I couldn’t be held liable for my subsequent actions.

No, in my opinion, the coolest character was the bubbly and fun martial artist Tifa Lockhart, who not only looked great but also had a lovable personality. Aeris may be demure and homey, and maybe even cute, but Tifa is a bombshell with serious charm. Cloud is an emo idiot with weird Super Saiyan hair.

It wouldn’t even be worth talking about if Final Fantasy VII wasn’t a great game, but it was a memorable title. It wasn’t quite as good as FFVI in my opinion, but it still delivered an exceptional experience on the PlayStation platform. At the time, the visuals and graphics were quite stunning too.

As for the drawing, I am pleasantly surprised by how well it turned out. I wasn’t sure if I could make her look like the original Tifa, but fortunately, she turned out quite recognizable.

Is Tifa kissing? Is she surprised? Is she shushing someone? You decide.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/tifa-lockhart-fan-art/feed/0Cammy White Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/cammy-white-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/cammy-white-fan-art/#respondWed, 12 Mar 2014 22:00:15 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2186As a gamer, Cammy is one character I never really learned how to use. Everyone has their favorites (mine were Ryu and Ken), of course, but when the fighters in Street Fighter II were still limited to eight (plus the four “bosses” at the end), I grew decently proficient in fighting with all of them. […]

]]>As a gamer, Cammy is one character I never really learned how to use. Everyone has their favorites (mine were Ryu and Ken), of course, but when the fighters in Street Fighter II were still limited to eight (plus the four “bosses” at the end), I grew decently proficient in fighting with all of them. Each character had a unique ending, and I wanted to see all of them. I can’t imagine investing that much time into a single game these days.

In any case, Cammy first appeared Super Street Fighter II if I remember correctly, and after that point, the number of fighters in the series continued to grow pretty quickly. It became pretty hard to keep track of all of them. Previous to Super Street Fighter II, Chun-Li was the only female character in the game. The addition of Cammy was a welcome one (the game needed more women), and I think she is a pretty cool chick.

As for the drawing, I think it turned out pretty nicely. It’s not quite as neat as some of the other work I’ve done (maybe because I took a brief break from drawing), but I feel the thinner line art complimented this piece fairly well.

Cammy looks positively peppy and alert in this drawing, whether I intended it or not. It’s pretty interesting how art comes to life in its own way sometimes.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/cammy-white-fan-art/feed/0Are Nintendo’s eShop Indie Games Going To Be Any Good?https://arcticsunburn.com/nintendos-eshop-indie-games-going-good/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nintendos-eshop-indie-games-going-good/#respondTue, 11 Mar 2014 22:00:27 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2177Have you had the chance to check out the upcoming indie games on Nintendo eShop yet? You should definitely check them out. I’d like to summarize some of IGN’s top picks. You can check out their video here too, if you want. Shovel Knight Shovel Knight is a Castlevania/Mega Man style game, and I would […]

Have you had the chance to check out the upcoming indie games on Nintendo eShop yet? You should definitely check them out.

I’d like to summarize some of IGN’s top picks. You can check out their video here too, if you want.

Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight is a Castlevania/Mega Man style game, and I would love to give it a go. According to IGN, it has a great soundtrack too. A good soundtracks can definitely make a game.

Treasurenauts

This game is all about collecting treasures. It is similar to Sonic in that, whenever you get hit, you lose some of the things you’ve collected. I’m not as interested in this game as I am in Shovel Knight, but it still looks pretty cool.

Moon Chornicles

Moon Chornicles is a first-person shooter for the 3DS. It looks a lot like other prevalent FPS games.

1001 Spikes

This is a platformer style game in which many map pieces move, break, and fall apart. Like Super Meat Boy, it looks punishingly hard. It’s sort of looks like the worst platforming parts of Contra and Mega Man combined.

Retro City Rampage: DX

Retro City Rampage: DX is a top-down Grand Theft Auto style game with plenty of 80s games references. This is another game I would love to check out.

Wooden Sen’SeY

This is an action-platformer set in Japan. According to IGN, it’s a bit like God of War but only more simplistic. It has some really neat-looking stylized graphics.

Siesta Fiesta

Siesta Fiesta is a scrolling brick-breaker type game. It seems a little weird, but I would give it a try.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nintendos-eshop-indie-games-going-good/feed/0Japan’s Most Anticipated Game Titles: Final Fantasy XV, Mario Kart 8 And Othershttps://arcticsunburn.com/japans-anticipated-game-titles-final-fantasy-xv-mario-kart-8-others/
https://arcticsunburn.com/japans-anticipated-game-titles-final-fantasy-xv-mario-kart-8-others/#respondMon, 10 Mar 2014 22:00:51 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2180IGN recently reported on Japan’s most wanted games. According to Famitsu, the nearly 30-year-old Japanese gaming magazine, the following five games are the most anticipated titles in Japan right now: Persona 5 for the Playstation 3 Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U Final Fantasy XV for the Playstation 4 Samurai Warriors 4 for the […]

According to Famitsu, the nearly 30-year-old Japanese gaming magazine, the following five games are the most anticipated titles in Japan right now:

Persona 5 for the Playstation 3

Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U

Final Fantasy XV for the Playstation 4

Samurai Warriors 4 for the Playstation 3

Kingdom Hearts III for the Playstation 4

In other words, there are a lot of sequels in the works. I can’t say that I’ve really played any games in these series besides Final Fantasy, though I have observed others play the Kingdom Heart games.

Based on the series’ track record, I wouldn’t be too eager to find out more about Final Fantasy XV myself. Just for fun, I decided to check out the trailer:

The setting seems to reflect modern society in some ways. The environments do look beautiful, and the in-game footage looks positively intense.

Swords are still a thing; you can clearly see that, despite the fact that there are guns in this world too.

Other than that, it seems to be mostly about collecting crystals. Hmm…

I’m curious as to why they’re so hyped about Final Fantasy XV given that – I haven’t played any of them – but from what I’ve heard, the general consensus is that the most recent ones have been pretty bad.

Andrew responded by saying:

You know, I think the whole thing about Final Fantasy in Japan – and that’s a great comment – is that it hasn’t actually ever dropped in popularity compared to here in the North America where it’s fluctuated quite a bit. I think, yeah, they’ve maybe lost some hardcore fans, or they’ve angered some along the way, in general, I think they’ve still kind of kept the momentum in Japan. I think people sort of get it more because they’re almost Anime-like too – right – the recent ones? And the trailer does look somewhat compelling, but again, yeah, but it is odd to me too because they’ve messed this up so many times, who knows?

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/japans-anticipated-game-titles-final-fantasy-xv-mario-kart-8-others/feed/0007 – Our Favorite SNES Gameshttps://arcticsunburn.com/007-favorite-snes-games/
https://arcticsunburn.com/007-favorite-snes-games/#respondFri, 07 Mar 2014 23:00:43 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2155In this chattercast for AS Movies & Games, Andrew and Gabefornow discuss their favorite SNES and Super Famicom games. This one is for the community! And the overloards. Did we really take the time to prepare for this show, or did we just read off of a list? You’ll never find out. Unless you do. […]

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/007-favorite-snes-games/feed/0In this chattercast for AS Movies & Games, Andrew and Gabefornow discuss their favorite SNES and Super Famicom games. This one is for the community! And the overloards. - Did we really take the time to prepare for this show,<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>In this chattercast for AS Movies & Games, Andrew and Gabefornow discuss their favorite SNES and Super Famicom games. This one is for the community! And the overloards.
Did we really take the time to prepare for this show, or did we just read off of a list? You'll never find out. Unless you do.
I know that we probably missed some of the SNES favorites. Let us know what your favorite SNES games are in the comments section below. No, seriously, we want you to tell us. C'mon!
Yeah, that's me on the show, ma.
Credits:
HOSTS: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/B4LifeMA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Gabefornow</a>AS Movies & Gamesno25:26Unbelievable! Policewoman Kills Teen Holding Game Controllerhttps://arcticsunburn.com/unbelievable-policewoman-kills-teen-holding-game-controller/
https://arcticsunburn.com/unbelievable-policewoman-kills-teen-holding-game-controller/#respondThu, 06 Mar 2014 23:00:07 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=217417-year-old Christopher Roupe was accidentally killed by a police officer in Euharlee, Georgia on Friday, February 14, 2014. Roupe heard a knock at the door that fateful Friday night, and when he went to answer the door, he was shot on-site by a female police officer who mistakenly thought that he was holding a gun. […]

Christopher Roupe was shot by a police officer who mistakenly thought that he had a weapon in his hand.

17-year-old Christopher Roupe was accidentally killed by a police officer in Euharlee, Georgia on Friday, February 14, 2014.

Roupe heard a knock at the door that fateful Friday night, and when he went to answer the door, he was shot on-site by a female police officer who mistakenly thought that he was holding a gun.

The officer was making a probation-related visit to the home, and when Roupe answered with a game controller in his hand, the policewoman mistook it for a weapon. Roupe was likely holding a Wii controller; possibly a gun-shaped one.

The officer in question has been placed on administrative leave. Meanwhile, the department will be investigating this matter further. Roupe’s family will likely file a suit against the department.

This incident is tragic, and it is a difficult one to respond to. At AS Movies & Games, we’d like to offer the Roupe family our sincerest prayers. We also hope that there will be no future occurrences of this kind.

We also pray for the officer in question. This would be both a shocking and difficult situation to recover from.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/unbelievable-policewoman-kills-teen-holding-game-controller/feed/0Weirdness! Space Jam NBA 2K14 Modhttps://arcticsunburn.com/weirdness-space-jam-nba-2k14-mod/
https://arcticsunburn.com/weirdness-space-jam-nba-2k14-mod/#respondWed, 05 Mar 2014 23:00:46 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2162Have you ever had the burning urge to play a basketball game with the Space Jam characters? Weird – me neither! No, I’m just kidding. This actually looks like a lot of fun. I would give it a go. Whether you’ve ever had the desire to do it or not, this thing actually exists. There’s […]

I saw this a while ago, and thought this was beautiful. I love this. I was waiting for a mod to be put into one of these games. I don’t play sports games, but I wanted it to be put in there just because I think it’s the best idea ever.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/weirdness-space-jam-nba-2k14-mod/feed/0Should Xbox be More Supportive of Indie Games?https://arcticsunburn.com/xbox-supportive-indie-games/
https://arcticsunburn.com/xbox-supportive-indie-games/#respondTue, 04 Mar 2014 23:00:14 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2167Cthulu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII are both awesome games. I actually finished Breath of Death VII back in January 2013, and even reviewed it. I intended to do the same with Cthulu Saves the World, but I haven’t gotten around to finishing it yet. Yes, I know I’m not that fast […]

Cthulu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII are both awesome games. I actually finished Breath of Death VII back in January 2013, and even reviewed it. I intended to do the same with Cthulu Saves the World, but I haven’t gotten around to finishing it yet. Yes, I know I’m not that fast with these things.

According to Joystiq, Breath of Death VII and Cthulu Saves the World – developed by Zeboyd Games – have sold extremely well on Steam. In fact, they made more revenue in less than a week on Steam than over 18 months on Xbox Live Indie Games.

Sure, this isn’t exactly a new story, but the point still stands. Does Xbox Live need to do a better job at promoting indie games? Furthermore, does the success of Zeboyd Games on Steam have to do more with the genre, or does it have to do more with a lack of marketing?

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/xbox-supportive-indie-games/feed/0Chun-Li Fan Art 2https://arcticsunburn.com/chun-li-fan-art-2/
https://arcticsunburn.com/chun-li-fan-art-2/#respondMon, 03 Mar 2014 23:00:07 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2138I know I said that Chun-Li isn’t my favorite fighting video game character, but I felt like giving her another go. This fan art is more of the Street Fighter Alpha style Chun-Li, which I do like. I’m not sure if I necessarily like her Alpha costume more than her original costume, but it’s always […]

]]>I know I said that Chun-Li isn’t my favorite fighting video game character, but I felt like giving her another go. This fan art is more of the Street Fighter Alpha style Chun-Li, which I do like. I’m not sure if I necessarily like her Alpha costume more than her original costume, but it’s always neat to see some change and evolution.

I don’t have too many bad things to say about this drawing. Her face ended up looking a bit like Scarlett Johansson’s (stare at her nose and lips long enough and you should see it), though that wasn’t planned out in advance. Just a happy accident. I feel like her eyes ended up looking a little weird, but it seems like a pretty minor issue, all things considered.

The thinner line art ended up serving the drawing fairly well again. I do like using bolder lines too, but I guess it all depends on what you’re going for. For any character drawings with finer details, it’s often good to go a little thinner, and certainly there are some finer details with Chun-Li’s hair.

I hope you enjoyed this fan art. Let me know what you thought in the comments section below, and don’t be too shy about making requests!

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/chun-li-fan-art-2/feed/0006 – Our Favorite NES Gameshttps://arcticsunburn.com/006-favorite-nes-games/
https://arcticsunburn.com/006-favorite-nes-games/#respondFri, 28 Feb 2014 23:00:14 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2153We’re back again with another NEScast for AS Movies & Games (but mostly for the alien overlords). In this episode, we discuss our favorite NES and Famicom titles. Did we really take the time to prepare for this show, or are we just reading off of a list? You’ll never know! Oh, crap… I know […]

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/006-favorite-nes-games/feed/0We're back again with another NEScast for AS Movies & Games (but mostly for the alien overlords). In this episode, we discuss our favorite NES and Famicom titles. - Did we really take the time to prepare for this show,<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>We're back again with another NEScast for AS Movies & Games (but mostly for the alien overlords). In this episode, we discuss our favorite NES and Famicom titles.
Did we really take the time to prepare for this show, or are we just reading off of a list? You'll never know! Oh, crap...
I know that we probably missed some gooders. Let us know what your favorite NES games are in the comments below. No, seriously, we want to know. Word.
Yeah, we are that good.
Credits:
HOSTS: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/B4LifeMA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Gabefornow</a>AS Movies & Gamesno21:23Chun-Li Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/chun-li-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/chun-li-fan-art/#respondThu, 27 Feb 2014 23:00:20 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2135At some point, I knew that I would have to draw Chun-Li. When I think of video game characters, for some reason I can’t help but think of Street Fighter II, and though it didn’t have many female characters (Cammy didn’t come into the picture until later versions of the game), Chun-Li certainly is iconic […]

]]>At some point, I knew that I would have to draw Chun-Li. When I think of video game characters, for some reason I can’t help but think of Street Fighter II, and though it didn’t have many female characters (Cammy didn’t come into the picture until later versions of the game), Chun-Li certainly is iconic and memorable. Of course, that isn’t to say I wouldn’t draw male characters too.

I wouldn’t say that Chun-Li is necessarily my favorite video game character ever (or even favorite fighting video game character for that matter), but I have to admit that she does kick major butt. There’s no denying that. Her Spinning Bird Kick and Lighting Kick are wicked awesome moves.

As for the drawing, I tried working with thinner pens for this one. There are things I like about it, and some things I don’t like. For example, the eyes didn’t really turn out that great. Some of the lines are a little loose too, though it did end up working in some places.

My Chun-Li looks fairly serious, like in the reference material I used. Maybe she’s about to start fighting, or maybe she’s just not impressed with something Bison did.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/chun-li-fan-art/feed/0Shampoo Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/shampoo-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/shampoo-fan-art/#respondWed, 26 Feb 2014 23:00:11 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2132Frankly, I like most of the characters in Ranma 1/2, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be Shampoo. I don’t know what it is I like about her exactly, but she is kind of fun (maybe it’s her high-pitched voice). I can definitely see myself drawing more Ranma characters […]

]]>Frankly, I like most of the characters in Ranma 1/2, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be Shampoo. I don’t know what it is I like about her exactly, but she is kind of fun (maybe it’s her high-pitched voice). I can definitely see myself drawing more Ranma characters in the future.

Because I drew Shampoo immediately after drawing Lum, I can’t help but notice the similarities in style. Of course, they were both created by the same artist; Rumiko Takahashi. Bet you didn’t know that (of course you knew that; it’s common knowledge)!

The original run of the

All in all, I like how this drawing turned out as well. If anything, the shading of the hair could be a little tidier, but I wasn’t exactly aiming for perfection. I tried a similar style with Lum and ended up liking it, so I gave it another go and again liking the result.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/shampoo-fan-art/feed/0Lum Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/lum-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/lum-fan-art/#respondTue, 25 Feb 2014 23:00:36 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2129Believe it or not, there were a few Urusei Yatsura games, even if they weren’t that great (I was concerned that I might be cheating a bit with this fan art). Having said that, I probably would have drawn Lum at some point anyway, without having been forced to do so. She’s a fairly recognizable […]

]]>Believe it or not, there were a few Urusei Yatsura games, even if they weren’t that great (I was concerned that I might be cheating a bit with this fan art). Having said that, I probably would have drawn Lum at some point anyway, without having been forced to do so. She’s a fairly recognizable anime character, and fun to draw too.

Even while I was living in Japan, Urusei Yatsura wasn’t exactly new, so if you haven’t heard of it before, that’s probably why. The original run went from 1978 to 1987 (I think we arrived in ’88 or ’89 if my memory serves me right), which means that it was a fairly long-running series. I don’t recall watching many episodes myself, but I did catch it on TV from time to time. It’s also a manga series, in case you’re wondering.

I rather enjoyed watching re-runs of old anime on TV in Japan, as they tended to be some of the better ones.

As for the drawing, I think it turned out fairly solid. I tried something a little different with the hair and the line art, and ended up liking the effect. Stay tuned, as there will be more to come!

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/lum-fan-art/feed/047 Ronin Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/47-ronin-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/47-ronin-review/#respondMon, 24 Feb 2014 23:00:40 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2121Ancient feudal Japan, a land shrouded in mystery, forbidden to foreigners. A group of magical islands home to witches and demons. A nation of rival provinces, whose lords were ruled by a Shogun, whose will is absolute. Peace in the realm is kept by the Samurai, master swordsmen, tasked with protecting their lord and their […]

Ancient feudal Japan, a land shrouded in mystery, forbidden to foreigners. A group of magical islands home to witches and demons. A nation of rival provinces, whose lords were ruled by a Shogun, whose will is absolute. Peace in the realm is kept by the Samurai, master swordsmen, tasked with protecting their lord and their province at all costs. Should a Samurai have a lose or fail his master, he suffers the greatest shame in all of Japanese society. He becomes a Ronin. And yet to know the story of the 47 Ronin is to know the story of all Japan.

Huh? Sorry, you lost me.

Witches? Demons? No, I’m sorry. I’ve been to Japan. There were no dragons or demons there. Maybe witches, but I never ran into them. Certainly, there were legends of demons and some such, but that’s a whole other thing.

Before I could even shake my confusion, the movie began to tell the story of a “half-breed” named Kai, whose life is spared by Lord Asano, and who is greatly admired by his daughter Mika. As they mingle in the woods as teens, Kai happens upon a broken branch. He asks Mika what it is and she says, “a branch”. Then he responds with:

No, it’s a deer. It took this path.

Oh god, we’re in for a long one.

Then the movie quickly fast-forwards to where Kai grows up to be Keanu Reeves. I’m glad they spared us the embarrassment by hurrying through the key points of the story and Kai and Mika’s uneventful childhood. The introductory sequence definitely does not set up this movie to win.

Frankly, the movie is somewhat patronizing. There is a scene where Kai sees a fox with one bluish eye, and one brown eye. Then, later he sees a woman with the same eyes. The movie quickly flashes back to when Kai encountered the fox, despite the fact that it was only minutes ago. Good lord.

This film also assumes the average viewer would know nothing about the Samurai. I don’t know about you, but when someone tells you about how Samurai used to commit honorable suicide with Seppuku, you don’t easily forget that visual.

I think what the movie is trying to say is that there are some cultural differences you should understand. What the movie doesn’t know is that it’s fictional, so trying to establish fact is almost pointless. Sure, it’s based on the true story of the forty-seven Ronin, but I’m pretty sure there weren’t foxes, dragons or Tengu in the original telling of that legend.

Okay, so accept it. This is a fantasy action movie.

The Story

For a fictional re-telling of a historical account, I think they failed to make it any more interesting than it actually was. Sure, it’s fun to see CG dragons, and while it might add something to the action, it certainly doesn’t add to the story.

The Acting

Not as bad as you might think. Even Keanu Reeves seems to have improved since his Matrix days, and there are some top-notch Japanese actors represented here as well.

I do feel a little sorry for the otherwise beautiful Ko Shibasaki though, as her makeup job in this film did not do her any justice. While I was watching the movie, I was thinking they should have picked someone else. Then I saw her headshots, and quickly realized that they didn’t present her in the best light possible.

The Effects

Oh, come on. I have no basis for rating a movie like this based on its CG effects. They were pretty good for what they were, but they were also off-putting.

Conclusion

With their revenge on Lord Kira complete, the 47 lord-less Samurai end up having to commit Seppuku.

Kai, of course, was not excluded from having to end his life as well. In his final moments with Mika, he tells her:

I will search for you through 1,000 worlds and 10,000 lifetimes.

Oh god. This is a very Japanese thing to say, sure, but for some reason the words really hurt my soul. They do not elevate the quality of this movie even a little bit.

You probably think I hate 47 Ronin, but frankly I’ve seen much worse. I’m just glad that I went to the cheap theatres to see this.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/47-ronin-review/feed/0005 – Why We Feel Like We’re In The Early To Mid 2000s Againhttps://arcticsunburn.com/005-why-we-feel-like-were-in-the-early-to-mid-2000s-again/
https://arcticsunburn.com/005-why-we-feel-like-were-in-the-early-to-mid-2000s-again/#respondFri, 21 Feb 2014 23:00:57 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2110In this convocast, Andrew and Gabefornow explore why recent movies have made them feel as though they are still in the early to mid 2000s. Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily. However, it is a little odd how 10 to 15 years later, we’re still watching very similar movies with the same actors. Got […]

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/005-why-we-feel-like-were-in-the-early-to-mid-2000s-again/feed/0In this convocast, Andrew and Gabefornow explore why recent movies have made them feel as though they are still in the early to mid 2000s. - Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily. However, it is a little odd how 10 to 15 years later,<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>In this convocast, Andrew and Gabefornow explore why recent movies have made them feel as though they are still in the early to mid 2000s.
Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily. However, it is a little odd how 10 to 15 years later, we're still watching very similar movies with the same actors.
Got it? Get it here, on AS Movies & Games!
Credits:
HOSTS: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/B4LifeMA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Gabefornow</a>AS Movies & Gamesno15:39One Finger Death Punch Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/one-finger-death-punch-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/one-finger-death-punch-review/#respondThu, 20 Feb 2014 23:00:58 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2115This game uses only two buttons! AS video reviews are back by popular and vehement demand! In this episode, AS Andrew and AS Gabefornow take a look at Silver Dollar Games‘ One Finger Death Punch, which is super extreme! Props to Gabefornow who edited this video. It’s not perfect, but don’t worry; we’re going to […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/one-finger-death-punch-review/feed/0Bulma Fan Art 2https://arcticsunburn.com/bulma-fan-art-2/
https://arcticsunburn.com/bulma-fan-art-2/#respondWed, 19 Feb 2014 23:00:18 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2097I felt that my first Bulma fan art turned out pretty good; I think I just wanted to try drawing her with a different hairstyle. Thus the ponytail. Bulma has certainly had her fair share of hairstyles, but I rather like Bulma with the ponytail to the side. Though I did adapt her to my […]

]]>I felt that my first Bulma fan art turned out pretty good; I think I just wanted to try drawing her with a different hairstyle. Thus the ponytail. Bulma has certainly had her fair share of hairstyles, but I rather like Bulma with the ponytail to the side.

Though I did adapt her to my own drawing style here, I’m not sure if it totally worked. You can definitely tell from her hair that it’s supposed to be Bulma, but her face doesn’t totally match the Bulma we all know and love.

I guess I can’t be too self-critical, but I think I would like to give Bulma another try. Perhaps I will find reference material that’s a little more exciting too.

In this drawing, you can see that I tried a bit of a “neutral” expression; Bulma looks unimpressed, but generally enthusiastic. I guess you could say it’s a look of expectancy as well. Maybe she’s waiting to answer a question. Maybe she’s listening intently.

By the way, Bulma is wearing a scarf in this drawing. It’s not a Jedi cloak or anything like that; although that might be kind of interesting.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/bulma-fan-art-2/feed/0Maam Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/maam-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/maam-fan-art/#respondTue, 18 Feb 2014 23:00:47 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2094After drawing Leona, who else was I supposed to draw? My first attempt at Maam is a little weak, admittedly. It’s not a bad drawing per se, but it doesn’t really look like her. I don’t feel I was really able to capture the essence of her character with this drawing. I will have to […]

My first attempt at Maam is a little weak, admittedly. It’s not a bad drawing per se, but it doesn’t really look like her. I don’t feel I was really able to capture the essence of her character with this drawing. I will have to give it another try.

I guess I could make the excuse that this is what Maam would look like if I adapted her to my own style, but even that is stretching the truth.

This is from her Priest days, which is okay, but I think I do like her better as a Martial Artist. Up until that point, it almost seemed as though the writer couldn’t find a use for her in battle or in the storyline, except for the fact that they needed a female character to round out Dai’s party. She became far more interesting and effective as a Martial Artist later on.

That was one of the good things about Dai no Daibouken in contrast with Dragon Ball; characters that weren’t Saiyan didn’t become mostly useless in later battles all of a sudden.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this drawing. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know!

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/maam-fan-art/feed/0Leona Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/leona-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/leona-fan-art/#respondMon, 17 Feb 2014 23:00:14 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2092Okay, so maybe this is cheating a little. Best to my knowledge, while there are plenty of Dragon Quest games, there aren’t any Dai no Daibouken games out there (there really should be by now). However, there were Daibouken anime movies, so maybe this still counts as relevant content for the site. Hopefully. Princess Leona […]

]]>Okay, so maybe this is cheating a little. Best to my knowledge, while there are plenty of Dragon Quest games, there aren’t any Dai no Daibouken games out there (there really should be by now). However, there were Daibouken anime movies, so maybe this still counts as relevant content for the site. Hopefully.

Princess Leona is hands down my favorite character from Daibouken. She’s spunky and fun, and also quite determined. Her character compliments Dai very well.

I have to admit I rather like the effect I managed to create with the line art; bold lines for the outline, and thinner lines for the details. However, I don’t think I’ve successfully assimilated her into my own drawing repertoire just yet. That can take some time. My drawing looks a little generic, like the original artist’s version of her. For a first attempt, I guess it’s not bad.

Now that I really look at it, some of the line art looks a little shaky as well. That is one of the tricky things about pen drawings; you can’t really make any corrections as you go. I guess you can’t be too much of a perfectionist. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fan art!

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/leona-fan-art/feed/0004 – Nintendo’s Biggest Mistakeshttps://arcticsunburn.com/004-nintendos-biggest-mistakes/
https://arcticsunburn.com/004-nintendos-biggest-mistakes/#respondFri, 14 Feb 2014 23:00:27 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2106And we’re back with another chatcast! In this episode, Andrew and Gabefornow discuss some of Nintendo’s biggest mistakes. Just so no one gets their underpants in a bunch, we’re not pointing out their mistakes just to criticize them. We think Nintendo is great. If you’d like to refer back to the blog post with the […]

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/004-nintendos-biggest-mistakes/feed/0And we're back with another chatcast! In this episode, Andrew and Gabefornow discuss some of Nintendo's biggest mistakes. - Just so no one gets their underpants in a bunch, we're not pointing out their mistakes just to criticize them.<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>And we're back with another chatcast! In this episode, Andrew and Gabefornow discuss some of Nintendo's biggest mistakes.
Just so no one gets their underpants in a bunch, we're not pointing out their mistakes just to criticize them. We think Nintendo is great.
If you'd like to refer back to <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/nintendos-top-5-biggest-mistakes/" target="_blank">the blog post with the top 5 list</a>, you're awesome.
Word!
Credits:
HOSTS: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/B4LifeMA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Gabefornow</a>AS Movies & Gamesno27:01Rikku Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/rikku-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/rikku-fan-art/#respondThu, 13 Feb 2014 23:00:40 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2086I remember when I first started playing Final Fantasy X. It was one of the first games I played on the PlayStation 2 console, and I thought it looked absolutely beautiful. I was excited to see the stunning graphics, and it was a fun game to play, despite its many, many flaws. The storyline was […]

]]>I remember when I first started playing Final Fantasy X. It was one of the first games I played on the PlayStation 2 console, and I thought it looked absolutely beautiful. I was excited to see the stunning graphics, and it was a fun game to play, despite its many, many flaws.

The storyline was far from compelling, and you could drive a tank through the massive plot holes. The characters were fairly one dimensional and naive too, and Tidus’ insistence that this was his story was both childish and obnoxious. The sphere grid was… ultimately pointless, especially as your characters continue to level up and reach higher levels.

The battle system was quite good, and so was the music. However, like most titles in the series since FFVII, it was missing something.

Anyway, I decided to try my hand at drawing Rikku. When I first started sketching her, I wasn’t sure how this drawing was going to turn out, but ultimately I think it turned out okay.

If anything, it may have been good to use fewer lines; especially with her hair. I’m still experimenting with a variety of different drawing styles, so please go easy on me. I am sure there are many flaws.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/rikku-fan-art/feed/0Mai Shiranui Fan Art 3https://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art-3/
https://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art-3/#respondWed, 12 Feb 2014 23:00:14 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2089What? Why are you looking at me like that? Yes, I ended up creating yet another drawing of Mai Shiranui (maybe I’m a little obsessed after all). I don’t think it will be the last, either. However, this time, I actually drew her torso as well. Good on me! I don’t think the proportions are […]

Yes, I ended up creating yet another drawing of Mai Shiranui (maybe I’m a little obsessed after all). I don’t think it will be the last, either. However, this time, I actually drew her torso as well. Good on me! I don’t think the proportions are quite right (her head seems a little big to me), but I think it turned out okay. If I could fix it, I probably would.

It seems like I have been having some issues with proportions lately. Admittedly, it has been a while since I’ve drawn this much. I also used to draw male heroes a lot as a kid (not the superhero kind; mostly of the Dragon Ball or Yu Yu Hakusho variety), so I didn’t draw that many women. In other words, it’s still kind of new to me. Had art remained as my primary passion in high school, I probably would have more experience in this area.

I’m sure I will eventually figure out my process. Sometimes when drawing Anime, manga or video game women (or men, for that matter), the standard rules of human proportions don’t really apply. To a degree, that is also true here (to say nothing of Mai’s often “exaggerated” proportions).

Regardless, I hope you’ve been enjoying my creations. There is definitely more to come!

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art-3/feed/0Selphie Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/selphie-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/selphie-fan-art/#respondTue, 11 Feb 2014 23:00:47 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2046I did not feel that Final Fantasy VIII was the strongest installment in the series. I do like some of the characters (or at least their design), but the game itself was a bit of a mess. There were far too many tutorials early on, and they were confusing to say the least. The storyline […]

]]>I did not feel that Final Fantasy VIII was the strongest installment in the series. I do like some of the characters (or at least their design), but the game itself was a bit of a mess. There were far too many tutorials early on, and they were confusing to say the least. The storyline is also full of irreconcilable plot holes. There have been some interesting theories about that, but I don’t think there’s enough evidence to support the idea that the developers were clever enough to have thought it through to that extent.

I don’t know why, but Selphie seemed like the obvious choice for my first Final Fantasy character art. She’s spunky, fun and girlish. She has a certain innocence that hasn’t been spoiled by a difficult and turbulent world.

My Selphie turned out looking a bit mischievous. Perhaps this is the look she would give Squall when she sensed the blossoming of a romance between him and Rinoa. Or, maybe, she’s about to pull a prank on Zell.

Though I did use the original character design as reference, I still made it my own. I approached the illustration in my own way. Quality wise, I like this drawing more than my Mai Shiranui drawing.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/selphie-fan-art/feed/0Mai Shiranui Fan Art 2https://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art-2/
https://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art-2/#respondMon, 10 Feb 2014 23:00:23 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2042This is my second attempt at drawing Mai Shiranui. Where my previous Mai was confident and assured looking, this Mai is decidedly happy and peppy looking. This time, I tried to draw her in my own way. I still used reference material, but my goal was to draw her the way I would as opposed […]

]]>This is my second attempt at drawing Mai Shiranui. Where my previous Mai was confident and assured looking, this Mai is decidedly happy and peppy looking.

This time, I tried to draw her in my own way. I still used reference material, but my goal was to draw her the way I would as opposed to mimicking someone else’s style. Drawing what someone else has already drawn is easy; being able to incorporate it into your own repertoire is more challenging. As for the finished product, I don’t think it’s perfect, but I think I am starting to find my flow and my style.

The bolder outline (or line art) was something I wanted to try, and I ended up liking it. I will likely continue to experiment with it. I also like the way the texturing of the hair turned out. Again, it’s not perfect, but I think it’s a pretty good effect.

Surprisingly, I am finding that I am able to do these drawings progressively quicker. I always thought character drawings would take a lot of effort, but it’s not as bad as I would have thought. We’ll see about full body illustrations though; that might be a whole different game.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art-2/feed/0003 – Gabefornow!https://arcticsunburn.com/003-gabefornow/
https://arcticsunburn.com/003-gabefornow/#respondFri, 07 Feb 2014 23:00:03 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2102In episode three of the talkcast, Andrew introduces Gabefornow to the AS Movies & Games audience! The two discuss the hacking and the new layout of the website (you’re looking at it probably), indie game forums, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, illustrations, social media, and a variety of other goods and things! You know […]

]]>In episode three of the talkcast, Andrew introduces Gabefornow to the AS Movies & Games audience!

The two discuss the hacking and the new layout of the website (you’re looking at it probably), indie game forums, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, illustrations, social media, and a variety of other goods and things!

You know you love it.

Credits:

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/003-gabefornow/feed/0In episode three of the talkcast, Andrew introduces Gabefornow to the AS Movies & Games audience! - The two discuss the hacking and the new layout of the website (you're looking at it probably), indie game forums, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,<a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>In episode three of the talkcast, Andrew introduces Gabefornow to the AS Movies & Games audience!
The two discuss the hacking and the new layout of the website (you're looking at it probably), indie game forums, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, illustrations, social media, and a variety of other goods and things!
You know you love it.
Credits:
HOSTS: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ArcticSunburn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Andrew</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/B4LifeMA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AS Gabefornow</a>AS Movies & Gamesno17:23Mai Shiranui Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art/#respondThu, 06 Feb 2014 23:00:29 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2033I believe I was in grade four when I first became aware of Garou Densestsu. I was already partial to fighting games, having been exposed to Street Fighter II years earlier. How ever similar, Garou Densetsu did bring its own flare and style to the genre. Ultimately, though the series sort of got swallowed up […]

]]>I believe I was in grade four when I first became aware of Garou Densestsu. I was already partial to fighting games, having been exposed to Street Fighter II years earlier.

How ever similar, Garou Densetsu did bring its own flare and style to the genre. Ultimately, though the series sort of got swallowed up by The King of Fighters, I think I ended up liking Garou Densetsu more than Street Fighter. The characters were unique and memorable, and I really liked the special moves of characters like Terry, Andy and Kim Kaphwan as well.

Of course, one character that a young, impressionable boy wasn’t likely to forget was the scantily clad, colorful female Ninja in the form of Mai Shiranui. Fighting games had certainly used females in this manner before, but it wasn’t long after the emergence of Mai that the sexualization of fighting games became all the more extreme.

That’s a bit of a heavy subject and might be a good topic for another time. Regardless, with my ongoing sketching habits, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself. I can draw just about anything, but with a lot of my early work as an artist (I practically started drawing and painting out of the womb), it became pretty apparent that there was an utter lack of female drawings. Every boy goes through a period where he is obsessed with heroes, and that’s what my work portrayed most of the time.

Anyway, I decided to keep my Mai drawing here just to her head and shoulders. I will probably do more full body sketches in the future, but I don’t really see myself drawing a scantily clad woman merely for the sake of tantalization.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/mai-shiranui-fan-art/feed/0Bulma Fan Arthttps://arcticsunburn.com/bulma-fan-art/
https://arcticsunburn.com/bulma-fan-art/#respondWed, 05 Feb 2014 23:00:28 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2030I can’t say that I am, or that I have ever been in the habit of creating fan art. I have certainly done character studies in the past, but as an artist I’ve always been more about developing my own style and characters and worlds than trying to emulate someone else’s work. Having said that, […]

]]>I can’t say that I am, or that I have ever been in the habit of creating fan art. I have certainly done character studies in the past, but as an artist I’ve always been more about developing my own style and characters and worlds than trying to emulate someone else’s work. Having said that, finding your own style is often a process of amalgamating a variety of different styles.

Moreover, sketching and drawing is something that helps me to decompress and collect my thoughts. It’s something that I’ve been doing a lot more lately, especially if I get stuck on a problem or if I’m just not sure how to proceed with a project. It also stops me from engaging in other time-wasting activities. Drawing just feels a lot more productive.

Truthfully, it has been a while since I’ve just drawn for the heck of it. I tend to create projects intentionally and deliberately, which means that I often equate them with real work. I think it’s probably healthy to have a side hobby that I’m not depending upon to help me move my career forward.

For some reason, the first thing I decided to draw was Dragon Ball’s Bulma. I guess that makes sense, because I grew up having a lot of respect for Toriyama’s work.

Since Bulma is in plenty of games and movies, I thought this would make for some relevant and interesting content for the site.

Let me know if you enjoyed this piece; perhaps I will post more in the future.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/bulma-fan-art/feed/0Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-review/#respondTue, 04 Feb 2014 23:00:32 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2024I didn’t necessarily think there would be a sequel to Anchorman. It was a fun film, but it was also wildly inappropriate. You see movies in a different light when you watch them with your parents (Office Space was another one like that; I watched that with my grandparents of all things). Some of you […]

I didn’t necessarily think there would be a sequel to Anchorman. It was a fun film, but it was also wildly inappropriate. You see movies in a different light when you watch them with your parents (Office Space was another one like that; I watched that with my grandparents of all things).

Some of you know what I mean, some of you don’t (if your parents are religious or conservative, you should). Either way, over time, I have come to appreciate the original film a little more.

For some reason, it just didn’t click for me the first time around. I didn’t understand why there was a massive street fight in the middle of the movie, or why guys were getting set on fire, or why newscasters were getting impaled with a javelin or having their arms chopped off. Add to that the awkwardly chauvinist Ron Burgundy (Will Farrell), an impossible romance with Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), and you have one really weird and somewhat confusing movie.

That isn’t to say that there weren’t some funny moments, however. The fact that Burgundy reads everything off of the teleprompter screen verbatim definitely makes for comedic gold, though I must point out the similarities to Steve Carell’s character in Bruce Almighty (albeit different circumstances).

By the way, I’m not dumb; I’m just coming clean with you before I give my opinion on this Anchorman sequel.

I’ve since come to terms with the original. I get it now. I’m also a fan of Will Farrell, Steve Carell and Christina Applegate, so that doesn’t hurt matters either.

What Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues got right that so many sequels tend to get wrong is that it really, actually built off of the first movie. It took some of the best parts and expanded on them.

For example, Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), and Champ Kind (David Koechner) all get their much-needed moments in the spotlight. Brick was a hilarious character that didn’t get near enough time in the first movie, and The Legend Continues rectifies that. However, Hollywood does seem to be out to prove that quirky attracts quirky, as Brick finds his female counterpart in Chani Lastnamé (Kristen Wiig). Yes, she’s exactly like Brick. Dare I point out the similarities to Garth in Wayne’s World 2?

Additionally, Anchorman 2 had another newscaster battle; but this time it was even more over-the-top, with characters played by the likes of Will Smith, Kanye West, Liam Neeson, and Jim Carrey. There are a lot of great and interesting cameos in this sequence if you’re willing to look for them (some of them aren’t so obvious).

The story does take some dark turns as well. For example, Ron Burgundy temporarily goes blind due to an ice skating accident mostly caused by rival newscaster Jack Lime (played by James Marsden) and Burgundy’s massive ego. This is a shocking and strange turn of events that causes Burgundy to get in touch with his sensitive side and make amends with Veronica. He “raises a shark” in the process too.

So, in short, it has its quirks, and it has its predictable moments. However, all in all, Anchorman 2 should be praised for being a great sequel; a feat so few sequels accomplish.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/anchorman-2-the-legend-continues-review/feed/0Ys I & II Chronicles Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/ys-i-ii-chronicles-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/ys-i-ii-chronicles-review/#respondMon, 03 Feb 2014 23:00:09 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2016I made mention of the fact that I played Ys I & II Chronicles last summer. I captured some video, made mental notes, and even gave considerable thought to how I wanted to review this game. However, I have been keeping busy, and I haven’t gotten around to putting it all together in a cohesive […]

I made mention of the fact that I played Ys I & II Chronicles last summer. I captured some video, made mental notes, and even gave considerable thought to how I wanted to review this game. However, I have been keeping busy, and I haven’t gotten around to putting it all together in a cohesive way.

But then a time comes when you simply say, just write the damn review.

So, here it is.

Overview

I still remember the commercial for Y’s III Wanderers from Ys. The game would be seeing a release on the Super Famicom system, and the commercial made it look so exciting that I wanted to go out and buy it on the spot.

But you know what being a kid is like. I’d have to save my allowance on order to purchase another game. Not only that, but it would just be one item on my ever growing list of games, comic books and sports equipment that I so desperately wanted to buy.

So I never got around to it. My family moved back to Canada in 1997, and though I’d never really forgotten about the game, I wasn’t able to obtain a copy before leaving Japan.

One day, something compelled me to check Steam for Ys. That’s when I found Ys I & II Chronicles and immediately decided to purchase it.

Having now played Chronicles, I wouldn’t necessarily say that Ys is the best RPG series ever conceived, but it definitely has its moments.

Action Mechanic

I have to say I was a little disappointed by the action mechanic at first. In order to fight enemies, you essentially need to bump into them at the right angle. If you don’t catch them at the right angle, you get hurt. Otherwise, they get damaged.

I was looking forward to playing a classic Action RPG for a change, so when I found out that the player really has very little control over the action. I was not thrilled.

However, over time, it grew on me a little. At times, it makes it all too easy to defeat an enemy, and at other times it makes it really hard. You have to approach combat with some care, because enemies that are stronger than you will take you out in a hurry.

Graphics

I & II are enhanced remakes of the original two games in the series. Even so, I love the vibrant colors, the cute sprites, the Anime style NPC dialogue screens, the map textures, and the overall smoothness and quickness of control and response.

Story

The story is really nothing out of the ordinary as far as RPGs go. Red-haired Adol Christian is tasked with finding the six Book of Ys in Ys I. He is transported to the floating civilization of Ys II, where he has to solve the secrets of the land and eradicate evil from Esteria.

When taken together, I & II do end up connecting in some interesting ways. However, it doesn’t feel as though there was a ton of forethought. In other words, it comes across a tad forced.

Gameplay

Frankly, it’s not that hard to lose track of where you’re going or what you’re supposed to be doing in Chronicles, especially in Ys I. Like some of the other early RPGs, they don’t exactly spell it out for you.

It’s also interesting that Adol is essentially the only playable character. RPGs often allow you to build a party, but I suppose it would be a little hard to have multiple party members, especially with the action mechanic being what it is.

Conclusion

Though I is enjoyable, II is where it really starts to get good. It’s a little sad that these RPGs are kind of trite; a better storyline would compliment the hard work that clearly went into the development of these games.

With that being said, I would still recommend Chronicles to those who have an affinity for Japanese RPGs. It’s not a complicated game, though it is a little mysterious at times. It’s also a bit of a study in how RPGs have evolved since.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/ys-i-ii-chronicles-review/feed/0002 – Step Brothers Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/002-step-brothers-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/002-step-brothers-review/#respondFri, 31 Jan 2014 23:00:48 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1969Step Brothers was one of the best and most outrageous comedies of 2008, featuring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Two middle-aged underachievers have to learn to grow up, but they wreak havoc on their family’s lives in the process. This is a legacy review that was recorded shortly after AS Movies & Games founder […]

]]>Step Brothers was one of the best and most outrageous comedies of 2008, featuring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Two middle-aged underachievers have to learn to grow up, but they wreak havoc on their family’s lives in the process.

This is a legacy review that was recorded shortly after AS Movies & Games founder David Andrew Wiebe watched this movie in 2008.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/002-step-brothers-review/feed/0Step Brothers was one of the best and most outrageous comedies of 2008, featuring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Two middle-aged underachievers have to learn to grow up, but they wreak havoc on their family's lives in the process. - <a href="https://arcticsunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/podcast-artwork-small.jpg"></a>Step Brothers was one of the best and most outrageous comedies of 2008, featuring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Two middle-aged underachievers have to learn to grow up, but they wreak havoc on their family's lives in the process.
This is a legacy review that was recorded shortly after AS Movies & Games founder David Andrew Wiebe watched this movie in 2008.AS Movies & Gamesno3:11Accepted Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/accepted-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/accepted-review/#respondThu, 30 Jan 2014 23:00:22 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2008Not that there’s anything wrong with Justin Long or Jonah Hill, but frankly I don’t watch movies starring one or the other expecting to be impressed. Accepted is one of those rare occurrences. The acting is good, the comedy is actually funny, and the concept is great. In fact, I’m so in love with the […]

Not that there’s anything wrong with Justin Long or Jonah Hill, but frankly I don’t watch movies starring one or the other expecting to be impressed.

Accepted is one of those rare occurrences. The acting is good, the comedy is actually funny, and the concept is great. In fact, I’m so in love with the premise that I am probably going to end up being easy on this thing.

Essentially, Accepted is a movie about Bartley Gaines (Justin Long), a high school graduate that got rejected by all of the colleges he applied to. With the cooperation of his friend, Sherman Schrader (played by Jonah Hill), he manages to create an acceptance letter and website for a fake institution known as South Harmon Institute of Technology (yes, S.H.I.T. for short).

Gaines’ suspicious and meticulous parents have to be reassured of the existence of such a place, so he ends up having to find a suitable dean and create a semi-passable campus. Because Schrader was given the task of creating as legitimate of a website as possible, real students start showing up, and Gaines somehow has to make good on his promise for himself and for the sake of other rejects just like him.

My Pet Peeve

I take issue with Bartleby’s father, Jack. In the end, I think all characters come to the conclusion that higher learning isn’t just about going to a “prestigious”, “accredited” college. However, before that growth takes place, Jack has this to say:

Okay cut the crap Bartleby. Society has rules and the first rule is: You go to college. You wanna have a happy and successful life, you go to college. If you wanna be somebody, you go to college. If you wanna fit in, you go to college.

In my personal opinion, the only true statement is the last: “If you wanna fit in, you go to college.” The rest is a load of cow manure.

Again, I do have to give the movie credit for addressing some of the issues with education. There truly is a need for institutions to foster creative thinking in young people and not merely regurgitate useless facts.

Conclusion

If the premise sounds interesting to you, then you’ll probably end up liking this movie. With a PG-13 rating, it’s not the most obscene movie I’ve seen either, though there are more than enough allusions to suggestive imagery and activities.

Where education fails, and society tends to fail in general, is in addressing how one wants to live their life. We are encouraged to find what we enjoy or what we’re good at, but rarely are we asked about the kind of results we want. Going to college (or not) is a decision that should flow out of that type of consideration; not because it will make you happy or successful (which are lies anyway).

Moreover, there are other options. You can become a business owner. You can become an entrepreneur. In this day and age, starting a business doesn’t have to be expensive or risky.

Starting a school that is driven by its students is a movement in the right direction. Encouraging students to think about where they want to end up is an even better context for students that formal education simply does not offer.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/accepted-review/feed/0iSteve Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/isteve-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/isteve-review/#respondWed, 29 Jan 2014 23:00:10 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=2000iSteve is a comedic take on the life of entrepreneur Steve Jobs. Overall, it’s an exaggerated, funny and sometimes oddly inspiring film. Fittingly, or ironically, Jobs is played by Justin Long (“I’m a Mac”). Steve Wozniak is played by Jorge Garcia, just to perpetuate the notion that Jobs was the cool, social one and Wozniak […]

iSteve is a comedic take on the life of entrepreneur Steve Jobs. Overall, it’s an exaggerated, funny and sometimes oddly inspiring film.

Fittingly, or ironically, Jobs is played by Justin Long (“I’m a Mac”). Steve Wozniak is played by Jorge Garcia, just to perpetuate the notion that Jobs was the cool, social one and Wozniak was the fat loser that no one cared about. So, the casting is both clever and tongue-in-cheek.

On that note, the humor in this movie isn’t particularly subtle. It goes right for the jugular instead of muddling around in the arteries. It’s still funny when it’s funny, but you end up having to accept the fact that it’s not going to be a smart or understated movie early on. It may not be going for the baseline denominator (like the toilet humor in Austin Powers: Goldmember), but you can’t set your expectations too high either.

For example, iSteve has Jobs meeting a Japanese spiritual guru whose dialogue is made up of Apple taglines. Jobs is given – uh, flavored stickers? – by the guru. These tablets enable him to see into the future, but he is told, “only when the timing is right”. To put it plainly, the movie suggests that Jobs got all of his best ideas from getting high.

The rest is pretty predictable. There is the meeting with Bill Gates. Gates and Jobs make vows to be the best “GigaBuddies” for the rest of their lives. We all know how that pans out. There is the scene where John Sculley ousts Jobs from Apple. A lot of the pivotal moments are here; they’re just less serious or more embellished.

More than anything, it’s a lighthearted movie. You won’t be rolling on the floor, but you may have a few laugh-out-loud moments.

Conclusion

So, let’s put this all into perspective. With Jobs’ death still fresh in the general public’s memory, there are a variety of movies, documentaries, books and biographies you could dig into. iSteve isn’t likely to top your list, that is, unless you’ve already consumed everything there is to consume.

I guess this might be a good place to start for those who have a casual interest in Steve Jobs and Apple. Perhaps a general comedy-loving audience would show some interest too. However, making fun of Jobs is kind of like countering moon landing hoax arguments; there’s an audience for it, but it’s a niche market. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

What I will say about iSteve is that it wasn’t terribly crass or suggestive. It’s not a clean-cut movie, but it didn’t try to take too many potshots either. It’s definitely not the best film ever made, but I would sooner watch this than a lot of other titles that come to mind (like Post Impact, Spring Breakers, Baja Beach Bums, etc.).

Save iSteve for a day when you simply don’t have anything else to watch. Don’t put it on the top of your list, but keep it for a rainy night when you still need something to keep you entertained.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/isteve-review/feed/0Indie Game: The Movie Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/indie-game-the-movie-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/indie-game-the-movie-review/#respondTue, 28 Jan 2014 23:00:26 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1995Indie Game: The Movie follows the development of three indie game development projects: Super Meat Boy, Braid, and Fez. All of these games would later become highly-rated hits in their own regard. In particular, the film highlights the toil and struggle independent developers go through to create video games. It gives you insight into the […]

Indie Game: The Movie follows the development of three indie game development projects: Super Meat Boy, Braid, and Fez. All of these games would later become highly-rated hits in their own regard.

In particular, the film highlights the toil and struggle independent developers go through to create video games. It gives you insight into the fact that small teams, long hours, fatigue, and worry are all a part of the rigorous development process.

Though each developer ended up achieving success in their own way, some of them had mixed feelings about it.

Super Meat Boy

Perhaps the least suspenseful of all developments in this movie is that of Super Meat Boy. You can definitely appreciate the struggle and challenge that they went through to finish their product, but in the end their game did more than they ever thought it would.

However, based on some of his comments, you can tell that Tommy Refenes was brought to the brink of his own human limitations. Fatigue can definitely do that to people.

Braid

Braid, created by Jonathan Blow, quickly became a highly-acclaimed indie game after its release. If Blow was struggling to the same degree that Refenes or Fish was, this movie did not show it.

In fact, his biggest disappointment was not that the game did not sell well; it was that people didn’t really understand it. True, Braid does tell a disjointed out-of-order love story that is heartfelt. However, many reviewers focused on its gameplay mechanics instead. Perhaps this is because it’s hard to piece together the meticulously crafted story.

Fez

Whether you appreciate the outspoken, argumentative and controversial Phil Fish or not, this movie certainly has you sympathizing with his challenges.

The development of Fez took a long time; probably too long by the estimation of some fans. This can be difficult territory for new developers to navigate; they want to make good on their word and create a product that’s as good as they said it would be. However, as they continue development, they become better at their craft, and feel the need to go back and revise previous work. We all remember how long we waited for Duke Nukem Forever, and how it ended up being a colossal disappointment.

The Cliffhanger

This movie doesn’t follow the development of Fez to the very end. There were two things I did immediately after watching this movie:

Conclusion

This is a really great movie and I would highly recommend it. It’s even inspiring in many ways.

Don’t watch it into the wee hours of the morning like I did. I probably started watching it around 1 AM, which meant that I didn’t get to sleep until after 3 AM. I ended up regretting that decision. If you’re debating whether you want to watch this, or something else, or both, just watch this first.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/indie-game-the-movie-review/feed/0Hesher Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/hesher-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/hesher-review/#respondMon, 27 Jan 2014 23:00:13 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1985That dreaded time of week approached again. There was so much on my calendar that I needed to get around to, but unfortunately I was feeling too tired to be of much use to my to-do list. This general state of weariness seems to come around at least once a week, unless I’m particularly disciplined […]

That dreaded time of week approached again. There was so much on my calendar that I needed to get around to, but unfortunately I was feeling too tired to be of much use to my to-do list. This general state of weariness seems to come around at least once a week, unless I’m particularly disciplined about my sleeping schedule.

So, what did I do? I watched a movie on Netflix.

I guess you could say that this is my default mode of operation. It serves to reason that if I want to review movies I have to keep watching more, but admittedly there is so much more I could be doing at moments like these to re-energize. I could go for a walk. I could take a nap. I could draw or sketch for a while.

But no, human beings are lazy. I try not to be, and generally I’m pretty productive, but recreation should be a part of everyone’s weekly schedule. I’m just not sure that movies are the way to go.

Hesher

Yeah, yeah, Hesher. I was getting to that.

This movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Hesher), who I am staring to like more and more, though it is more about a young boy who loses his mother named TJ, played by Devin Brochu. Rainn Wilson plays his father (Paul), though this is definitely not a comedic role.

The thing is, if you’ve ever lost anyone close to you, you can relate to the sentiments and some of the occurences in this film. Loss is not easy to cope with, and sometimes it manifests itself externally as lethargy, detachment, and as this movie would have you believe, violence.

Violent

Yes, I felt that Hesher was kind of a violent movie. TJ gets bullied and tossed around and banged up more times than you can count. He even gets hit by Hesher’s van.

Hesher himself also doesn’t seem to have much of a filter for what’s appropriate and what’s not. He sets cars on fire and trashes a stranger’s backyard and pool. He even slices off a piece of Dustin’s (played by Brendan Hill; he bullies TJ) nose.

Then there is also a scene where we see the moment of TJ’s mother’s death. It’s seriously jarring.

And, maybe, that’s what I’m really trying to get at. The violence is jarring. I think that’s probably the effect they were going for, and anger is certainly an appropriate reaction to death, but when everything is so gritty and real, it’s almost re-sensitizing.

Characters

Nicole is a seriously forgettable character.

To Hesher, metal isn’t a style of music; it’s a lifestyle. Unfortunately, we don’t really get to see why he becomes the way he does. None of his background is ever revealed. He’s just… Hesher. He leaves destruction in his wake; though he isn’t without some common sense and grasp of reality. He simply doesn’t know when to stop.

Hesher is the most noticeable character in the movie. Though the film never comes out and says it, he’s basically the embodiment of TJ’s anger.

I liked TJ, and I thought Devin Brochu did a great job playing him. Dustin was also a very hate-able character; good on ya Brendan Hill.

The most forgettable supporting role is Nicole, played by Natalie Portman. She sort of serves as the older “love interest” to TJ, but in the end she doesn’t do much besides ease TJ’s pain a little. Her character is altogether too subtle and mysterious to be noticeable.

Conclusion

The primary moral of this film is to appreciate what you’ve got. The movie never really seems to want to hit this nail on the head, and as a viewer you may even wonder where it’s going or what the point is mid-way through. Then you go, oh right, TJ’s mom just passed away.

On the one hand, at least it’s not condescending to the viewer. On the other hand, it weaves in and out of the core message so effectively that you are left wondering if there really was any point.

I will say that the scene where Hesher, TJ and Paul push the grandma’s casket and go for “one final walk” is seriously moving and I even cried a little. I know what it’s like to lose someone.

Now that I think of it, for those who are currently grieving, this movie may hold more immediate relevance.

To sum up, Hesher is a good movie. There’s some good acting in it, and the plot is pretty good too. It effectively relays the sedated feeling you can sometimes feel when you lose someone close.

Where it could have been better is in communicating its message. Hesher shows a lot of potential, but it doesn’t go where it’s seemingly afraid to.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/hesher-review/feed/0001 – The First Ever AS Movies & Games Podcasthttps://arcticsunburn.com/001-the-first-ever-as-movies-games-podcast/
https://arcticsunburn.com/001-the-first-ever-as-movies-games-podcast/#respondFri, 24 Jan 2014 23:00:11 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1964In the first ever AS Movies & Games podcast, Andrew discusses upgrading his computer, Steam and Valve projects, Team Fortress 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Spoony aka Noah Antwiler’s Final Fantasy XIII review, the Final Fantasy series in general, and The History of Future Folk. Music Credits: “Realm of Zeltroz – Chiptunes”, Dan-O “Fake – […]

]]>I highly doubt that there is a movie I’ve watched as many times as The Goonies. If anything, Back to the Future is a close second, but I seem to recall a time in my early life when I watched The Goonies with my friend on a daily basis. I’m not joking.

To this day, if I had the night off, and I happened to be flipping through the channels on the TV (that rarely happens; really) and I noticed that The Goonies was on, I would probably watch it again.

It has often been said that familiarity breeds contempt, and while that might be true in some cases, familiarity might also allow one the opportunity to continue to discover new and different things they didn’t notice before. Unmistakably, that is the case with a film like The Goonies.

Don’t get me wrong; if I was shoved in a padded room with an old TV that only played The Goonies over and over and over, I would probably start to hate it. And then like it again. And then hate it. And then recite every line from the movie. Anyway, that’s mostly a pointless discussion, because the chances of that happening are slim to none.

One of the reasons it seems to stay fresh is because it’s one of those movies that has a variety of different TV edits. For example, you might hear Chunk (Jeff Cohen) mention a giant octopus towards the end of the movie (at least I think it was Chunk… It might have been Mouth). Well, in case you didn’t know, there was a scene with the giant octopus by the pirate ship. It just got deleted. I must say, I rather prefer the movie without it; they made a smart move there.

However, I’m pretty sure there was one time I watched the movie on TV and all they left all the deleted scenes in. That was pretty cool.

What is it about The Goonies that related so well to kids in the 80s and 90s? For one thing, I think it was the characters. Each kid was a little different, but not in the way that archetypes and stereotypes are exaggerated today; much subtler and more realistic. That isn’t to say that there aren’t a few outrageous characters; Chunk, Data and Sloth in particular.

Another thing that really stood out was the adventure itself. Kids don’t really hang out the way we used to; and they’re definitely missing out. Even in this day and age, the movie as a whole holds up pretty well. The pacing is a little more relaxed, but you don’t feel cheated for it.

I also have to admit that the Cyndi Lauper song is quite good. Say what you will about her weirdness, “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” is still a ridiculously good theme song for the film.

Anyway, this is just a giant love fest for the movie. If you’re wondering if you should watch it, it’s worth experiencing at least once. They have tried to replicate the charm of this movie with pictures like Super 8, but it’s nowhere near as good.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/the-goonies-review/feed/0This Means War Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/this-means-war-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/this-means-war-review/#respondWed, 22 Jan 2014 23:00:41 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1932Is this a movie a single thirty-something should even admit to watching? Well, you know me. I often go out of my way just to find bad movies. This Means War being a more recent mainstream title, I knew that it probably wouldn’t be a bad movie. Not to make excuses, but I think I […]

Is this a movie a single thirty-something should even admit to watching?

Well, you know me. I often go out of my way just to find bad movies. This Means War being a more recent mainstream title, I knew that it probably wouldn’t be a bad movie. Not to make excuses, but I think I just picked it because it was on Netflix and nothing else piqued my interest.

But hey, it’s got Reese Witherspoon. She’s pretty cute, right? And then we have Chris Pine who played Kirk in Star Trek. He’s hardcore! And then there’s Tom Hardy who played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Badass!

So, okay, it’s basically a romantic comedy with a bit of action. It seems to be trying to please both sexes at once. Well, maybe not. Appease would probably be a better word.

This Means War reminds me of movies like Mr. & Mrs. Smith or The Tourist, though there are some differences (I’ll get to that in a second). It’s kind of a genre unto itself (or just a subset of a genre), and, I think it’s sort of doomed to perpetuate a ‘mediocre to pretty decent’ status for the rest of its existence.

Think about it. This brand of movie is always built around the sexual tension of the protagonists. It won’t ever be a mind-blowing Sci-Fi adventure like The Matrix; there isn’t enough room for that kind of depth. It will never be as funny as a movie like Happy Gilmore; the upper limit to comedy found in sexual tension is foreseeable. It will never be quite as fun as a film like Back to the Future; too many plot devices muddles up the romance.

I think you get the picture. For This Means War, its 6.4 rating on IMDb might be justified. It’s definitely not the worst you’ve ever seen, even if you haven’t gone to the lengths I have to find and screen bad movies. However, it’s altogether forgettable. Look, I watched it not that long ago and I’m already forgetting (oops).

If there’s anything unique about this picture, what This Means War did was turn the typical my-husband-is-a-spy or my-wife-is-a-spy or oh-my-god-we’re-both-spies plot into a two-spies-vying-for-one-woman story. Not much of a spin if you ask me, but after all that’s what spun content means.

So, basically, you get what you pay for. One beautiful woman, two handsome men. A little bit of character development (whoa, hold on there; doesn’t character development involve change?), a few ha-ha laughs (actually it was decently funny as I remember it), and a little bit of romance… kind of.

As a side bar, I really liked FDR Foster’s (played by Chris Pine) bachelor pad. Wow. I think I’m going to add that to my dream board.

Anyway, in short, this movie is not bad. It’s hard to get too excited about it, but if you like the genre, and you like some of the players, there’s nothing stopping you from checking it out.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/this-means-war-review/feed/0Election Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/election-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/election-review/#respondTue, 21 Jan 2014 23:00:11 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1925It’s because of movies like these that you can really appreciate the acting talent of Reese Witherspoon. Not saying anything irreverent about Legally Blonde or This Means War, but here’s a gal that’s capable of ditzy and fun, smart and ambitious, elitist and obnoxious… I had her pegged as an annoying little snot at first. […]

It’s because of movies like these that you can really appreciate the acting talent of Reese Witherspoon. Not saying anything irreverent about Legally Blonde or This Means War, but here’s a gal that’s capable of ditzy and fun, smart and ambitious, elitist and obnoxious… I had her pegged as an annoying little snot at first. God knows why. She definitely has a broader range than actresses like Jennifer Aniston or Julia Roberts, though that’s not saying much. She’s much better than that.

She hasn’t really made any quantum leaps like Leonard DiCaprio in her career (we had so little hope for you when we first saw Titanic, Leo), but that’s really just because her acting chops have always been good. If you don’t believe me, check out Election from 1999. Watch as the young Witherspoon outshines and outplays Matthew Broderick, Chris Klein, and pretty much the whole cast.

The movie is about a high school student election. Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) sets out to sabotage the otherwise unopposed Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), and even sets popular varsity football player Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) against her. McAllister clearly resents Track Flick, or rather what she represents; hardworking people that achieve levels of success he doesn’t aspire to. He may have the capacity, but he doesn’t want to do anything about it.

There are both things to like and dislike about this movie. First, what’s to like. The storyline is pretty deep, it explores the darker, lazier side of being human, and the acting is pretty good. Character motivation is subtle instead of being spelled out, like it would be in real life.

What’s not to like: the movie doesn’t really have the most interesting premise. Everybody remembers high school, but student election is something only candidates remember well. The characters aren’t terribly likable. Sure, they’re human, but the film has you questioning absolutely everybody.

In essence, Election is a movie that explores the duplicitous nature of human existence. We may try to look good on the outside, but sometimes we’ll pay any price just to get what we want. We may even compromise our personal integrity.

In that sense, it ends up hitting pretty close to home. Even when we don’t think we have a price, sometimes we do. Even when we don’t think we would ever do anything to sear our conscience, sometimes we do.

At the end of the film, the self-sabotaging McAllister contrasts his life with that of Flick’s. After cheating on his wife, McAllister has to move out of town. Nevertheless, he talks up his newfound miserable existence, even as he observes how successful Flick has become.

I think what the movie is trying to say is that there is a reward for those who work hard to accomplish their goals. However, it’s putting it in a way that doesn’t demean those who choose a simpler life. It’s subtle, but those who are willing to read between the lines will definitely catch it.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/election-review/feed/0Street Fighter II Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/street-fighter-ii-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/street-fighter-ii-review/#respondMon, 20 Jan 2014 23:00:39 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1920I still remember that one momentous day when I stepped into the recently opened video game store across the street. I must have been about eight or nine years old at the time, and Japan was my home. I remember hanging out at the video game store every once in a while. I don’t necessarily […]

]]>I still remember that one momentous day when I stepped into the recently opened video game store across the street. I must have been about eight or nine years old at the time, and Japan was my home.

I remember hanging out at the video game store every once in a while. I don’t necessarily remember a whole lot from those days, but I think I often went there just to check out the new titles and drool over them, knowing that the next time I would even get a new game was when a) I saved enough of my allowance, b) I had a birthday, or c) it was Christmas.

On this particular day, there was a new arcade machine located by the front door, and several local kids were gathered around it. Curious, I decided to check out what they were playing

Hadouken!

What in the world? I’d heard of Kamehameha, but I had no idea what a Hadouken was. It looked similar, and yet the Hadouken was more of a fireball than a continuous wave of energy like a Kamehameha.

I wasn’t even sure what I was looking at yet, but I was mesmerized. Though I was familiar with the fighting game genre to a degree (mostly Famicom games at the time), this one seemed to be in a class all its own.

I think, to a degree, these impressions of wonder have stuck with me, like a cow at a new gate (I’m not calling myself dumb, just in case there’s any confusion).

I just hadn’t seen anything like Street Fighter II. The characters, the special attacks, the voices… Everything felt so… different.

Incidentally, I did end up blowing my allowance at this video game store, probably several times over. Not on the cartridges (that would have been smart), but on the arcade machine. I’m pretty sure I battled my friends and even financed their hopeless attempts at beating the resident champion. You know, that intimidating older guy that seems to have all the time and money in the world because he’s always at the machine just in case anyone dare challenge him. Yeah.

Later, after playing Street Fighter II on the Super Famicom at length, it became one of my favorite titles for the system, and even ended up inspiring some of my other favorite fighting games, like Garou Densetsu (you can imagine the impression Mai Shiranui left on my young impressionable mind) or Ryuuko no Ken (also known as Art of Fighting). God, Ryuuko no Ken. I really wish I had that game.

Anyway, regardless of console or iteration (Street Fighter II’: Champion Edition, Street Fighter II’: Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II – The New Challengers, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Hyper Street Fighter II – The Anniversary Edition, Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix, etc.), this game is still worth playing. As you probably know, there have been many new titles since, but if you’d like to see where the series really started to gain some traction, check it out.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/street-fighter-ii-review/feed/0A Gamer’s Diary: Street Fighter Alphahttps://arcticsunburn.com/a-gamers-diary-street-fighter-alpha/
https://arcticsunburn.com/a-gamers-diary-street-fighter-alpha/#respondFri, 17 Jan 2014 23:00:40 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1914The social dynamic in the information age almost dictates that people are less socially adept and available. Why go to the movies when you can access hundreds of movies on Netflix from the comfort of your own home? Why get together with friends when you can just text them, email them or connect with them […]

The social dynamic in the information age almost dictates that people are less socially adept and available. Why go to the movies when you can access hundreds of movies on Netflix from the comfort of your own home? Why get together with friends when you can just text them, email them or connect with them on Facebook?

The novelty of the movie theatre experience will probably never die out, and there are many people that can still appreciate game arcades, even if they are outdated. In a way, these were things that used to bring people together. The irony is that it’s also easier to feel alone in a crowded room.

People used to get together to do things, even if it was just LAN parties or a Schwarzenegger-thon. It still happens, but most people have access to all of their entertainment needs from the convenience and comfort of their own home.

Having said that, adult life brings a new perspective and new responsibilities with it too. Though recharging and having fun should be part of every person’s life, turning 30 brings a whole new sense of urgency in figuring out how to make an impact on the world and leave a personal legacy. You may not share that viewpoint; it just depends on how much you value life.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to get too somber. Let’s get to the heart of the matter.

Even in this modern age, you might still find yourself looking over the shoulder of another who is playing a game. Maybe, like me, you don’t really play a lot of games. Or maybe you just like to watch (if you know what I mean). Whatever the case, you catch someone in the act (oops). That’s what A Gamer’s Diary is all about.

Street Fighter Alpha

I grew up in Japan. However, I left at a bit of an awkward time, in early 1997. The Sony PlayStation was starting to gain in popularity, and polygons and 3D games were beginning to capture the attention of the youth.

When I came back to Canada, it was as if I had gone back in time. I already knew who was going to be winning the latest console war, because I saw what the PlayStation would offer gamers everywhere.

Anyway, Street Fighter II is one of my all-time favorite games from childhood, but the series became a little harder to follow after I saw so many different incarnations. Remember? There was the Champion Edition, and Hyper Fighting and so on and so forth.

Fast story long, I realize now that Street Fighter Alpha was kind of a missing piece in my education. I’ve known about it, but I never really played it. For example, I was looking at newer releases in the Street Fighter series going, “who the heck is Akuma?” Apparently he was a hidden character in Turbo. Go figure. I played that game to death and never unlocked him.

Still, there were other new characters that I did not recognize either. Observing my roommate play Street Fighter Alpha has finally given me a bit of context for later releases.

Graphics

I really like how this game looks. By today’s standards it’s nothing special, but for someone who has observed how games have evolved from the Commodore 64 onward, I can appreciate incremental improvements. Alpha does look decidedly better than II.

Sound & Music

Here, too, I noticed quite a bit of improvement. Each character’s theme sounded better than earlier versions of the game, and likewise their voices were updated. This is good news considering how it sounded like most of the voices in Street Fighter II were articulated by two or three different people at most.

Gameplay

Naturally, I can’t really speak to the gameplay that much. I was watching someone play it. My roommate did mention that some of the moves were a little challenging on the PlayStation controller though.

Alpha definitely seems a little more complicated than earlier Street Fighter games, thanks to the addition special moves. It seems like each character’s repertoire of attack moves had increased as well.

Conclusion

I’m pretty sure I would have a lot of fun with this game if I had the chance to give it a go. I would probably feel like I was a little more up-to-date with the Street Fighter universe after playing it as well.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/a-gamers-diary-street-fighter-alpha/feed/0Super Mario Bros. 3 Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/super-mario-bros-3-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/super-mario-bros-3-review/#respondThu, 16 Jan 2014 23:00:31 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1905Power Button. Flash. A red curtain scrolls up. What looks to be cardboard cacti bolted onto some sort of stage set come into view followed by a moustachioed plumber and his younger brother–and they just…PICKED UP A TURTLE SHELL? WHOA! AND NOW HE HAS A RACCOON TAIL?! WHAT?! This is how Super Mario Bros 3. […]

]]>Power Button. Flash. A red curtain scrolls up. What looks to be cardboard cacti bolted onto some sort of stage set come into view followed by a moustachioed plumber and his younger brother–and they just…PICKED UP A TURTLE SHELL? WHOA! AND NOW HE HAS A RACCOON TAIL?! WHAT?! This is how Super Mario Bros 3. starts, continues, and finishes. Without any theme music or sounds, and without warning, it shows that it is not the same game as its predecessors, the passing familiarity only there to make you feel comfortable so it can surprise you, over and over again.

It may be entirely pointless to write a review for a game that no longer needs introduction, but with such fond memories of “Mario 3” as a child, I feel like this is more love letter than critique. If you’re looking to simply decide whether or not you should buy this game in one of its many available formats, I will summarize this hug-a-thon now in one word–yes.

When you finally pick your jaw up off the floor at the mini-cartoon you’ve just watched, and press start (coin noise!), the game shocks again. It’s a map. A map of Mario’s world! There are castles, and some weird spade thing, and there’s things… moving things on the map! Your desire to find out just what everything on the map is and what it does and where it goes is what drives you to move over from the START square you’re on, to the {1 square and press A.

So colourful. That was what I remember thinking when I first played World 1, Level 1 all those years ago. Immediately apparent to anyone whose previous experience with Mario are the first two Super Mario Bros. games, is that this game looks much prettier, and somehow also looks more fun. Still, you acclimate yourself to the controls and find they’re about the same so far as the first game, and so you begin to run and jump, controls as tight as ever, hitting that first question box, which is probably a mushroom! (mushroom grow noise!)

Mario’s new run is as peppy and jovial as his new, smiling face. You can’t help but grin along with him either as you hit that next ? block. Probably a coin right? Nope! Surprise! Touch that leaf! (poof noise!)

Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced the concept of multiple suits, a series staple even as of the latest entry on the Wii U. The suits offer different abilities, which allows players to tackle situations in a bunch of different ways. This first one, the Raccoon Suit, gives you a satisfying (thunk noise!) tail whip attack, but more importantly, gives you a new defensive strategy– run fast enough, and you can take off and fly. Suddenly those big gaps and scary piranha plants don’t seem so impossible anymore.

If you discover that Raccoon Mario can fly right away, another facet of this game comes to light– there’s a whole secret world of secret things right above your head! The game has a completely optional, but incredibly fulfilling focus on exploration, that, save for warp zones, wasn’t in the previous Mario games. In fact, assuming I haven’t got my wires crossed, very few NES action games up to this point felt so vast in scope, save for maybe Metroid. There are things to find in almost every level. Much like in its presentation and pacing, the level design of Super Mario Bros 3 is built on one word–surprise.

So this is a bit of a sidestep, but it’s worth mentioning a school yard memory here. Due to the game’s vast cache of secrets, this was a game where every kid who played it knew a kid three doors down whose cousin found “a secret turtle suit” or a “secret world 9”. But one story (stepping back into focus!) was true– the whistles.

There are three warp whistles in this game. Made in a time where there wasn’t an internet to consult, and all game tips and tricks came from very expensive (for a six year old) guide books, no one knows who first discovered the whistles. Nothing shows you how to get the whistles. Nothing. These three items are mythical and legendary until you accidentally stumble upon them, entirely by following your own impulses.

“Oh I feel like flying through this whole castle cause it’s faster and whoa!” “Ugh this hammer thing sucks because it doesn’t do anything and OH yeah it totally does!” This is Nintendo’s own brand of grassroots, learn-as-you-go gaming at its peak.

I would love to, and very much could, go into detail about all of the levels in this game. But there are 90 of them, and besides, why would I want to spoil everything in writing? Quickly however–every single world has its own distinct and exciting new theme. There’s the desert world with its crazy sun, the water world’s never ending map and frog suit, giant world with its colossal enemies, the sky world that is actually two worlds, a world of ice, a world of pipes, and a world of battleships and darkness. If you dreamed about a Mario game when you were a kid, these are your dreams come true.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/super-mario-bros-3-review/feed/0Nostalgia Chick – City of Angelshttps://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-city-of-angels/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-city-of-angels/#respondWed, 15 Jan 2014 23:00:36 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1861Well here’s another Hollywood adaptation of a thematic cinema masterpiece. Can you guess what it’s about? Think really hard. It’s about sex. Yeah. So, like pretty much every other Hollywood movie, it doesn’t have much of a point, except to say that love and sex is awesome. In case you didn’t get the message, love […]

Well here’s another Hollywood adaptation of a thematic cinema masterpiece. Can you guess what it’s about? Think really hard. It’s about sex. Yeah.

So, like pretty much every other Hollywood movie, it doesn’t have much of a point, except to say that love and sex is awesome. In case you didn’t get the message, love and sex is awesome. Oh, and just in case we haven’t beaten you over the head with it yet, love and sex is awesome.

Well hey, love and sex are meant to be good, but the movies tend to glorify it just a bit.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-city-of-angels/feed/0Nostalgia Critic – Sailor Moonhttps://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-critic-sailor-moon/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-critic-sailor-moon/#respondTue, 14 Jan 2014 23:00:45 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1858This Japanese import may have appeared weird to North American audiences, but believe me when I say it gets much, much weirder. I guess that’s pretty common knowledge now. Anyway, the creepy part was that there were Otaku guys who collected Sailor Moon merchandise and memorabilia. Good god. I guess you can’t blame them when […]

This Japanese import may have appeared weird to North American audiences, but believe me when I say it gets much, much weirder. I guess that’s pretty common knowledge now.

Anyway, the creepy part was that there were Otaku guys who collected Sailor Moon merchandise and memorabilia. Good god. I guess you can’t blame them when the Anime babes make you think the wrong thing (see what I did there; I referenced Barenaked Ladies)?

Anyway, the Nostalgia Critic takes a closer look at Sailor Moon in this review. He is a much, much braver soul than I.

Holy crap; I remember Sarah Michelle Gellar, but I forgot Reese Witherspoon was in this thing too.

Hmm… Cruel Intentions. I remember this being a bit of a disturbing movie. Hey, what the heck happened to Sarah Michelle Gellar anyway? What? She’s doing voice work for cartoons now? What?

Though Gellar is nice to look at, I guess Reese Witherspoon is the better actress. By a long shot. And, speaking of which, Witherspoon is cute too.

Oh right, Cruel Intentions. This was a bit of a disturbing movie, wasn’t it? What? I said that already? I’m sorry, I get distracted when I’m talking about Sarah Michelle Gellar. Speaking of Gellar, what the heck happened to her anyway?

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-cruel-intentions/feed/0Nostalgia Chick – Wild Wild Westhttps://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-wild-wild-west/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-wild-wild-west/#respondFri, 10 Jan 2014 23:00:45 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1850I won’t lie; I’m pretty sure I enjoyed this movie when I first saw it. I was a bit of a Will Smith fan back then too. You have to admit; Wild Wild West – while bad – was kind of entertaining. Having said that, this is mostly just a Western version of Men In […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-wild-wild-west/feed/0The History of Future Folk Reviewhttps://arcticsunburn.com/the-history-of-future-folk-review/
https://arcticsunburn.com/the-history-of-future-folk-review/#respondThu, 09 Jan 2014 23:00:32 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1846I am pleased to report on a good movie for a change. The History of Future Folk is a refreshing look into folk music and alien life forms. Supposedly, it’s also the origin story of bluegrass duo Future Folk, who have been entertaining audiences in New York City for a decade. They remind me a […]

The History of Future Folk is a refreshing look into folk music and alien life forms. Supposedly, it’s also the origin story of bluegrass duo Future Folk, who have been entertaining audiences in New York City for a decade. They remind me a bit of They Might Be Giants now that I think of it.

I’m not sure if anyone would really buy this as an “origin story”, but I guess you could draw some parallels between the feeling of alienation musicians sometimes feel and actually being and alien. Oh god, now I sort of wish I hadn’t thought of that. Let’s just say that interesting bands are allowed to have interesting origin stories and leave it at that. Tenacious D had a shot at it too.

Anyway, the basic premise of the story is that Bill (played by Nils d’Aulaire) is from the planet Hondo, and he came to earth to take over the planet and make it his race’s home. However, he becomes enamored with music, so he decides not to bring any harm to the planet. It is not revealed that Bill is indeed from Hondo right away, but when Kevin (played by Jay Klaitz) – also from Hondo – arrives, it becomes clear that Bill is indeed an alien. Kevin also falls in love with music and chooses not to bring harm to earth.

Bill had already been performing as a solo artist, but Kevin also joins him at a performance on the guitar (which he learns in a manner of hours). Thus the duo is formed.

The audience basically humors them. They laugh at everything they say about taking over earth. The irony, of course, is that everything they are saying is true.

What I like about Future Folk as a duo is that they have an esthetic that is very duplicable by their fans. That’s another post for another site, but suffice to say it’s no surprise that they’ve found some success doing what they are doing.

I’m not sure if the title is quite right, though. Maybe it should have been called Hondo, because, in a way, that’s really what you remember about this movie. Sort of like how you remember “Station!” from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, only more prominent.

I would say that the chief weakness of this movie is simply the fact that there isn’t more music. I know they weren’t trying to make a musical, but the duo is just too fun to watch. They should have played a few more songs to round out the somewhat short 86 minute runtime.

Otherwise, this film is definitely recommended. It’s one of the hidden gems of 2013.

Poor Pamela Anderson may not be able to act, but you have to admit she does photograph and film well.

Now here’s an interesting Nostalgia Chick feature: the worst female superhero movies (or worst female superhero characters). The Chick’s previous reviews might provide a few hints as to what movies she covers here.

As the Chick points out, most writers don’t really seem to know what to do with the treatment of female superheroes (also known as super heroines). There isn’t a cliché more overused than the strong, “independent” type.

What is your least favorite female superhero? Let us know in the comments section below!

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-worst-and-least-awful-female-superhero-movies/feed/0Nostalgia Critic – Master of Disguisehttps://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-critic-master-of-disguise/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-critic-master-of-disguise/#respondTue, 07 Jan 2014 23:00:25 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1817Did you ever stop to wonder what that guy who played Garth from Wayne’s World was up to? I bet you were sorry when you found out that he was involved in this piece of crap. The poor guy hasn’t even been in a whole lot since this tugboat of hogwash. He was in Jack […]

God knows Dana Carvey needed to be in something, but not this. Don’t turtle us to death ever again.

Did you ever stop to wonder what that guy who played Garth from Wayne’s World was up to? I bet you were sorry when you found out that he was involved in this piece of crap. The poor guy hasn’t even been in a whole lot since this tugboat of hogwash.

He was in Jack and Jill with Adam Sandler, but the moment I learned both Jack and Jill were played by Sandler, I turned that movie off and walked away. No. Just no.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-critic-master-of-disguise/feed/0Nostalgia Chick – Red Hot Riding Hoodhttps://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-red-hot-riding-hood/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-red-hot-riding-hood/#respondMon, 06 Jan 2014 23:00:24 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1814Why would anybody be interested in this film? Well, you know, because it’s… I don’t know, you’d have to ask the Nostalgia Chick. Red Hot Riding Hood was actually pretty influential, all things considered. It has some memorable “iconography” – as the Chick puts it – that other movies later mimicked and paid tribute to. […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-red-hot-riding-hood/feed/0Nostalgia Chick – Men In Blackhttps://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-men-in-black/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-men-in-black/#respondFri, 03 Jan 2014 23:00:55 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1810What is it about Men in Black that people love so much? Is it the aliens? The music? The technological setting? Will Smith? Tommy Lee Jones? Well yes, all of those things and more. Men in Black is lighthearted and fun, but it’s also serious and action-packed. Well, maybe not packed. There’s enough action to […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-men-in-black/feed/0Nostalgia Critic – A.I.https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-critic-a-i/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-critic-a-i/#respondThu, 02 Jan 2014 23:00:00 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1806When a movie director like Steven Spielberg takes a risk and tries something that they’ve never done before, you just never know how it’s going to turn out. Sometimes, it pays off. Then, at other times, you get a movie like A.I. Is it weird? Yes. It is awkward? Yes. Is it creepy? Yes. This […]

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this movie, and I seem to remember liking it. It’s definitely not without its fair share of problems though.

When a movie director like Steven Spielberg takes a risk and tries something that they’ve never done before, you just never know how it’s going to turn out. Sometimes, it pays off. Then, at other times, you get a movie like A.I.

Is it weird? Yes. It is awkward? Yes. Is it creepy? Yes.

This video contains suggestive language. Viewer discretion is advised. I love the whole TMZ parody in this review though.

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-critic-a-i/feed/0Nostalgia Chick – All Dogs Go To Heavenhttps://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-all-dogs-go-to-heaven/
https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-all-dogs-go-to-heaven/#respondWed, 01 Jan 2014 23:00:20 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1803Really? This thing is rated G? With all of the indulgence and excess in this movie, shouldn’t it at least be PG? I guess it’s different when cartoon dogs are indulging, huh? As you can guess, All Dogs Go To Heaven is a kid’s movie about dogs that experience what hells is like. It also […]

]]>https://arcticsunburn.com/nostalgia-chick-all-dogs-go-to-heaven/feed/0End of Year Wrap-Up: 2013 in Movies and Gameshttps://arcticsunburn.com/end-of-year-wrap-up-2013-in-movies-and-games/
https://arcticsunburn.com/end-of-year-wrap-up-2013-in-movies-and-games/#respondTue, 31 Dec 2013 23:00:12 +0000https://arcticsunburn.com/?p=1780Well, another year has come and gone and I’ve been playing a little bit of Team Fortress 2 to celebrate a prolific and productive year. Here at AS Movies & Games HQ, we hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. Don’t forget to let us know what you’ve been playing and watching in […]

]]>Well, another year has come and gone and I’ve been playing a little bit of Team Fortress 2 to celebrate a prolific and productive year. Here at AS Movies & Games HQ, we hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. Don’t forget to let us know what you’ve been playing and watching in the comments section below!

In the gaming world, 2013 saw the release of games like Dead Rising 3, Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us, Payday 2, Arma III, Shadow Warrior, Wasteland 2, Crysis 3, Planetary Annihilation, and SimCity among others.

Despite this amazing lineup, I can’t say that I’ve played many new games recently. This year, I completed Bastion and Ys Chronicles. I’ve also been playing a bit of VVVVVV, and during the holidays I’ve been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Team Fortress 2 like I already mentioned. You can’t blame me for wanting to play “older” games, especially when I haven’t even touched them yet.

I have watched quite a few movies this year, but not many of them were new. I did see Django Unchained, and I would like to see Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as well as Lincoln and Iron Man 3 as well. There isn’t any rush, but if things go my way I will have the chance to go and see Anchorman 2 in short order.

As for the site itself, it has been a fairly eventful year, with numerous site design revisions and malicious hacking. We’ve gone back and thickened up old content, and there is definitely more to do in that regard. Many of the older posts didn’t even have photos yet, and that matter had to be taken care of.

Looking forward, we intend to bring on more writers to create more fun and engaging content. We intend to start our own podcast, and we intend to create more videos as well. Stay tuned, because there are definitely some exciting things on the way!